Code Red
by marisa lee
Summary: Blossom and Brick have switched bodies somehow! Will they find out how to get back to normal? Or will they remain as each other...forever? Reds, blues & greens.
1. Chapter 1

**Me: Hello FanFictioners! Some of you may know me from my alleged "Queendom" over the Peanuts comics' branch of the site. But this time, I've decided to write a PPGxRRB Fanfic. I have seriously been obsessed with The PPG since I was probably about five years old.**

**Blossom: Aw, you've loved us for that long?**

**Buttercup: That's kind of creepy.**

**Bubbles: I think it's sweet! :3**

**Buttercup: You think EVERYTHING is sweet.**

**Blossom: She has a point, Bubbles.**

**Bubbles: I don't think spinach is sweet!**

**Me: Me either, it's gross. Oh yeah, and no flames, please, unless it's a bonfire and I'm invited. :3**

**Bubbles: I love bonfires!**

**Blossom: Me too!**

**Buttercup: *shrugs* only because it involves setting stuff on fire.**

**Me, Bubbles & Blossom: *roll eyes***

**Me: The Girls and Boys are roughly 16 years old and have normal features, noses, fingers, et cetera.**

**Blossom: As we should.**

**Me: I do not own the PowerPuff Girls, or the RowdyRuff Boys. But if there was a unicorn in this story, I would probably own that.**

**Bubbles: UNICORNS! Yayy!**

**Buttercup: Blech.**

**Bubbles: but unicorns are sooooo cute!**

**Buttercup: no they aren't, they're fierce and they stab stuff with their horns! Ha-ha!**

**Blossom: unicorns aren't even real.**

**Bubbles: *tears up* Wh-What?**

**Me: Okaaaaay girls, let's get on with the story, shall we?**

**Blossom: yes, please.**

**Bubbles: *nods eagerly***

**Buttercup: yeah, whatever**

**Me: Sorry the first chapter is so long. They won't all be like that! Maybe! Please review and let me know what you think!**

**xoxo ~ml**

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**Code Red**

_**POV Anon**_

"BUTTERCUP! WHAT DID YOU DO WITH OCTI?"

Bubbles' frantic screams echoed throughout the small home in Townsville. Her long blonde hair was tied in two cute pigtails that hung casually down her back. Her baby blue eyes were wide with worry as she flew down the hallway to her sister's room. The three heroines no longer shared a room. They were older now, and each had her own separate room.

At the sound of the pounding fist on her door, Buttercup tensed up and pulled the headphones out of her ears. She had been sitting cross-legged on her bed, playing Angry Birds on her iPod. "WHAT?" she shouted.

"BUTTERCUP! I know you took Octi! Give him back or else!"

Buttercup rolled her emerald green eyes and put the headphones back in her ears. "You don't need that stupid doll," she mumbled. She shoved a strand of short black hair behind her ear and went back to playing her game.

In seconds, Bubbles had the door swung open, a slight crater where her fist had made contact with the wood. She flew over to Buttercup's bed and snatched her sister's iPod out of her hands.

"I know you took him Buttercup," she cried, tears forming in her eyes.

Buttercup just sighed and stared at her sister.

"Why do you even need that thing for anymore?" she grumbled. "Haven't you outgrown it by now?"

"He's not an _it_, Buttercup! And he's my friend!" Bubbles put her hands on her hips with a pout. "I need him!"

Buttercup, obviously not gaining anything from this, rolled her eyes again and reached under her bed. She pulled out a ragged, faded old stuffed octopus with a little black hat nearly falling off its head. "Here, whatever," she grumbled, tossing the octopus to her sister, who immediately snatched it back into her loving hands.

"_Thank_ you." she threw her sister's iPod back onto the bed and stuck up her nose in Buttercup's face.

Buttercup just stuck out her tongue.

"It's okay, Octi, I won't let her octopus-nap you anymore," Bubbles cooed to the octopus. Buttercup scoffed and was about to return her headphones to her ears when suddenly, a loud, urgent beeping sound broke the peace and screeched into the room.

"The hotline!" Bubbles squealed. She dashed out of the room and down the stairs into the living room with Buttercup on her trail. Their other sister, Blossom, already had the phone pressed up to her ear and was listening intently to the Mayor on the other line.

"Uhuh... Uhuh... Sure thing, Mayor!" Blossom threw down the phone and looked at her sisters, who were waiting eagerly for her instruction. She bit her lip and twiddled a strand of her long, pumpkin-coloured hair between her fingers as she prepared to tell them about the emergency.

"Who is it?" Bubbles asked cautiously. "Mojo Jojo?"

"Or the Gangrene Gang?" Buttercup cut in. "I've been itching to smash that Ace's head in all week!" she kicked the air.

Blossom slowly shook her head, staring into space. She was imagining someone her sisters could not see.

"Well, who is it then?" Bubbles and Buttercup begged.

Blossom closed her large pink eyes and opened them again, very slowly and dramatically. The other two shared a confused, worried glance.

Finally, their sister spoke. "It's... The _RowdyRuff Boys_." Her voice was barely above a whisper as she focused her eyes in on each of her sisters once more.

The other two gasped. Bubbles clutched Octi tightly in her arms and gave a whimper.

"The RowdyRuff Boys?" Buttercup scoffed. "I can take all three of them in my sleep! Remember last time? We were all like, **bang**! **POW**! **Whoosh**! DEAD! Hah!"

"That's just it, Buttercup," Blossom said sternly. "The very last time we fought them, we thought they _were_ dead. Remember? Mojo destroyed them..." she thought carefully back to the time when they were five years old.

"Oh, yeah..." Buttercup recalled, disappointed. "But then how are they alive now?"

Blossom just shrugged. "Either way, the Mayor called about them, and we've got a job to do, girls!"

Buttercup smirked eagerly. "I can't wait 'til I get my hands on that Butch... He's DEAD!" she pumped her fist in the air and laughed.

"I like them!" Bubbles squealed happily. Her sisters stared at her in awe. Her cheeks turned bright pink. "What? They're cute! Especially Boomer."

Buttercup rolled her eyes again. "Bubbles, you think _everything's_—" but Blossom shot her a glance that shut her up.

"Come on, girls!" Blossom called, pushing off from the ground and flying out the door. Buttercup glared once more at Bubbles, then followed Blossom. Bubbles hugged Octi, set him carefully down on the couch with a smooch, and trailed after her sisters.

_**Blossom **_

As I flew towards the outskirts of Townsville where the Boys were terrorizing the citizens, I couldn't help but recall my own male counterpart and the battle which had ensued between us.

_His dark red eyes had burned with the fire of the sun, his arms folded across his chest and a smirk on his lips..._

I shuddered. I hadn't thought about those eyes since I was a very young girl.

_My eyes flicked to my left and to my right, where each of my sisters was poised and ready for the epic standoff between each of their own opposites. Buttercup's eyes were narrowed and heated, preparing to shoot a laser... Bubbles' face was curious, though determined as she looked on at her deep blue counterpart..._

Though I hadn't recalled it in years, the memory was easily brought to mind, like an event of only moments ago. I briefly closed my eyes as I flew and remembered the way they had fought...

_My opposite was quick; cunning. He darted from one side to the other, making me think and stay on guard at all times. I threw a punch, he deflected it with ease. He dared a kick; I knocked him to the ground. This was truly my match in every way..._

A faint red streak darted past us in the sky. The three of us stopped in our tracks and hovered there, waiting for an attack. A blue streak swirled around us. My eyes darted about, trying to watch every corner of the sky. Now a green streak cut briskly between Bubbles and I, causing a sharp wind to blow our hair back. Buttercup tensed up, balled up her fists and bent her knees—prepared for anything.

"Well, well, well." the deep, yet familiar voice smirked. "What have we got here, boys?" we whirled around to face our old enemies.

He was just as I remembered him. Only... Older. _Much_ older. That smirk on his face was the same as it had been all those years ago. That red hat. The long, carrot-coloured hair. And those eyes. Those tantalizing, seducing eyes. It took all my strength to look away and glance at the other two. I had to admit, the boys had grown into sharp looking young men.

Boomer still had a cute little boy face, his light blonde hair and deep blue eyes giving him the curious look of a small child. Though his body was quite the opposite. His arms and chest were rippling with muscles, which I could see through his skin-tight T-shirt. He watched Bubbles with mild curiosity—he didn't look at all threatening. _That one will be easy for Bubbles to take down,_ I thought confidently to myself. My eyes trailed to the opposite side of their leader, and I paused only briefly to look into his blazing red eyes again.

Butch looked like an army man. He was buff and scary. He had nothing on but a white wife beater and deep green cargo pants. Boomer's muscles were nothing compared to Butch's. His dark green eyes squinted harshly back at Buttercup, not blinking. He was large and mean-looking, and I shuddered internally, thankful that Buttercup was strong and fearless. She was eager, too. There was nothing but pure hatred between them as they stared each other down, each daring the other to make their move.

Finally, I brought my stare back to the group's leader.

"Brick," I scowled at him. He raised a single eyebrow.

"Ah, so you Puffs still remember us," he said with a smug grin. "I thought you would've forgotten..."

"How could we forget your ugly faces?" Buttercup barked. At this, Butch growled at her. Like a dog.

"How are you still alive?" I asked Brick through gritted teeth. "Mojo destroyed you years ago."

"So what if he did!" Boomer exclaimed stupidly. Everyone glared at him and Brick sent his fist through his brother's cheek. "Hey!" Boomer rubbed his cheek in protest.

"Shut up, Boomer," Butch grumbled.

"Yeah, we got destroyed... or so everyone thought," Brick smirked. "He never really destroyed us, babe. He sent us away, to be _trained_, so we could destroy _you_."

"In your dreams, Lizard breath," Buttercup spat. "We're way better than you. Always have been, and always will be."

"Is that so?" Brick questioned. Buttercup just nodded once, returning her death glare back to Butch, who returned it with great visible ease. "We'll just have to see about that..." he narrowed his eyes and whispered, "Get them."

_**Buttercup**_

Stupid RowdyRuff Boys. Why did they have to come back when I was just about to beat my high score? Stupid. Boomer was just as stupid as I remember. And Brick still had that stupid hat from when we were kids. 'Cept now his hair was longer. And that idiot Butch. Man, I just wanted to wipe that stupid grin off his stupid face and show him what's good for him! That stupid smirk was the same as ever. The only thing different about him was that stupid cowlick was gone. At least that was an improvement.

As soon as their leader told them to have at us, I didn't wait for Blossom to tell me twice. I lunged at Butch, catching his shoulders in my hands. Damn, he was strong. Had a good set of muscles, too. But he was no match for me, I knew. There! I scored a punch to the side of his stupid face. But he caught my other fist in his hand, flipped me, and sent my flying in the opposite direction. Before I could crash into it, I pushed off of a building with my feet and rocketed back at him. It caught him off-guard and he stumbled in the air from my kick.

"You're pathetic," he laughed, quickly recovering from the blow.

"We'll see who's pathetic when you're lying face down in the _dirt_!" I shouted back at him. I lunged again but this time he slid out of the way, sending me tumbling forwards mid-air.

"So sure of yourself, are you?" he taunted.

I just lowered my gaze. I couldn't even look at him. I just wanted to punch that stupid smirk off of his ugly face!

Okay, so maybe he wasn't _that_ ugly. But I'm a girl. And not just any girl, but a girl who kicks ass. And girls who kick ass should _not_ be thinking guys are cute. _Especially_ not evil villains. Yuck. A drop of rain fell onto my arm and I peered up at the sky. Dark, ugly clouds had come rolling in from the west. Barely a moment later, it was pouring. Butch's white tank top got completely soaked through, and I really got a good view of his body. Man, he was _buff_. Rippling arms, notable Pecs, and rock hard abs. I decided to give them a test drive and sent my elbow through his chest. It actually hurt. But I wouldn't let him know that. His muscles were impressive. For a _Ruff_.

Butch was good, but he wasn't good enough. I thought about using my laser beam on him, but thought the better of it. He was my match. My equal. It had to be a fair fight. Man-on-man, no powers, no weapons. Just me, punching that jerk's lights out. I rolled up my sleeves, swiped the hair out of my eyes and started back in at him. This was going to be the best fight of my life.

_**Bubbles**_

They were all just the same as I remember them! Except they all had cute new haircuts! Teehee!

Wait, I mean, they're dummies and meanies and I hate them! Especially Boomer! What with his shiny blonde hair, and his cute dimply smile, and his pretty blue eyes...

Those eyes squinted at me now, trying to be threatening, but I saw right through his facade. Boomer wasn't a villain. I can tell when somebody's a villain, and Boomer wasn't one. He had a good heart. He just followed what his brothers told him to do. Poor Boomer, all his brothers did was pick on him... Just like me. All Buttercup does is steal my stuff and treat me like a baby. And I'm _not_ a baby! I wonder if Butch is a bully like that to Boomer at home... I felt bad for him.

"Get them!" Brick shouted at his brothers. Butch immediately made a lunge for Buttercup, and after a second, Blossom and Brick had at each other. But Boomer didn't budge. He just kept that silly villainous look in his eye, trying to scare me. And he _did_ kinda scare me. But he also reminded me of that little boy I once knew, with his soft, piercing blue eyes and little button nose... I wasn't kidding when I'd said he was cute!

I figured if one of us was going to make a move, it might as well be me. So I jumped at him, throwing a punch towards his left cheek. He cringed and shielded his face as I approached, not even bothering to fight back. I just couldn't hit that innocent little boy face! I skidded to a halt mid-punch and hovered there, studying him. He held his position for another second; bracing for impact, then opened his eyes and peeked at me, wondering why I didn't hit him. I smiled cutely and waved. He blinked, confused.

"Wha-why aren't you hitting me?" he asked, dumbfounded.

I raised an eyebrow curiously. "I might ask you the same thing..." his eyes got wide and he turned pink.

"Uhh...I..." he muttered, trying to regain his confidence. He was such a cutie. I knew he wasn't a fighter, and he wouldn't hit me if I didn't hit back... I hoped.

He swung his arm around, his fist clenched, and I just kept that same smile on my face without flinching. After a second, I felt his fist barely touch my cheek and he lowered his arm in defeat.

"Aw, I can't hit a girl," he murmured. "Go ahead, beat me up, I won't tell my brothers I let you."

I giggled, looking around to see if anyone had noticed. They hadn't. Blossom and Brick were far, far away on the ground, and Buttercup and Butch were really getting into it.

"That's okay," I shrugged. "I don't really want to hit you either. You're too cute!" when I realized what I'd said, I immediately covered my mouth with my hand and gasped. But it was too late. Boomer had already flushed a deeper shade of pink than before.

"But we're supposed to kill each other!" he said, shaking off my compliment like it was no big deal. But I could tell that it was. I put my hand to my chin and tried to think. A group of scary, angry clouds all of a sudden appeared out of nowhere. I felt a few drops of rain on my nose and I wiped them off.

"Ah!" I squealed, having thought of the perfect plan. "Why don't we just _pretend_ to fight? They won't ever know!"

Boomer seemed to like this idea and he nodded eagerly. "Alright, that works for me!" he crouched down in the air and lunged himself—carefully—at me. I picked him up and spun him around—slowly—and pretended to slam him into a building. I didn't actually throw him. He did the slamming part on his own. Then he pretended to rub his head and he flew back at me in a burst of blue light. As he pushed off, a bolt of lightning flashed in the distance, followed by the distinct rumble of thunder. He aimed a kick straight to my face, but he didn't actually touch me at all. I reacted by dramatically flailing my arms and staggering backwards. I couldn't help but giggle at this. He smiled shyly at me, too, and that made me laugh even harder as I brought my fist underneath his jaw, _lightly_. This was fun!

_**Blossom**_

I lunged at Brick on his signal. I couldn't let him get away this time. I knew that this was the day one of us—either the PowerPuffs or the RowdyRuffs—would fall. And I would use everything in my power to make sure it wasn't us.

Brick was tough. His muscles and determination showed it. There was a reason he was their leader. Our arms shoved one another and I whirled around, locking my legs around his neck. I grabbed his waist and threw him to the ground forcefully. It was a tough blow to take. I was winning already. I could see the anger in his fiery eyes as he lay there in that crater on the ground. I tried not to smirk at his discomfort, but it happened anyways.

Before he could recover, I flew down to him and kicked his chest, sending him further into the hole. He let out a groan and I waited for him to get up. I wanted this to be fair, not easy. He took his time crawling out of the hole, playing it up like he was weak, and then went in for the attack. He snatched at my legs and picked me up off the ground, whirled me around in the air and with a strong punch I was flying in the opposite direction. I shook off the punch and came right back at him, aiming my feet at his gut. I hit him hard and he keeled over in pain.

But he was quick to recover and he flew up above me, shielding the sun from being in my eyes. His red cap and carrot hair glowed like firelight, but not for long. Quickly he was no longer framed by the sun, but by dark, menacing clouds. I scowled and darted at him again. He ducked out of my way and threw a punch to my arm. I felt a few cool drops of moisture on my skin. It felt good. I let out a loud cry as I kicked him straight where the sun don't shine.

The rain was really coming down now, and a flash of lightning illuminated the pained look on his face right before my eyes. It was sad, to see such a cute face so hurt. But he deserved it. Another flash of lightning as I grabbed at his soggy t-shirt. My hair was soaked and dripping down my back and my clothes were drenched to the bone. But I didn't care. I lifted Brick up off of his knees and I smiled cruelly.

"This is for all the pain you caused me"—I punched him in the jaw—"my sisters"—an elbow in the gut—"and the entire city of Townsville!" one final kick to the chest just as lightning struck, this time close and frightening. Brick was hurled down to the ground. I put my hands on my hips and waited to see if he would rise. He was a fighter. He toughed it out and after a minute or so, he was moving again. This time he brought on his full attack.

We were face to face, eye to eye, nose to nose as he grabbed my shoulders, forcing me backwards. Another lightning strike. The rain was coming down in buckets, but I knew none of my team was going to give up.

"The pain _I_ caused _you_?" he mocked. "The pain _I_ caused _YOU_? HAH!" he pressed his face up against mine now, he was sweaty and gross and it was raining to top it all off. His hair was stuck to his face—as I'm sure mine was, too—and his red cap sat limp and sad on his head. "You don't know what pain _is_, babe! You have no idea what it's like to be _ME_."

I was shocked. Being a Ruff couldn't _possibly_ be anywhere _near_ as difficult as being a Puff. I shoved him back, still nose to nose, as I retorted, "Like _you_ have any idea what _my_ life is like! What _I_ deal with!"

He leaned his head back and laughed, one sharp, cutting note that made me so furious I saw red. Literally. As he laughed, I saw another bolt of lightning flash in my eyes. But this time I didn't hear the thunder. In fact, I _was_ the thunder. The lightning hit us both dead-on as we hovered there in the rain, fighting one another back.

Getting struck by lighting was, in a word, exhilarating. It was searing pain, blindness, loss of control, and then falling. Infinite falling as we hurdled down to the ground, hitting it hard. And there was where I stayed, or so it seemed, for a long while.

I don't remember much of what happened next. I remember blanking out and then waking up when it was still quite rainy. Perhaps seconds, moments, or possibly even hours later. But when I peered to the side of me, I saw a clump of orange hair and a red cap on the ground, and I knew that Brick was still out, too.

_**Anon**_

The rain was coming down in buckets as Butch and Buttercup continued, unceasingly, to have at it. But something was wrong. They had been in combat with each other for what had felt like hours, but their siblings were nowhere to be seen. The first to notice this was Buttercup.

"Hey, wait a sec! Where's Blossom and Brick!" she shouted as she slammed her counterpart into another building. He rubbed the back of his head and peered around. They had barely noticed the rain during their fighting. But now they couldn't see a single thing. All they saw were two blue streaks twisting around each other, which they knew to be the blues battling one another.

Buttercup glanced at Butch, who was still lying flat against the building, punched him in the face, and sped over to where the blues were having their "fight".

"Damn, that girl can punch," Butch moaned, but he shook it off after a few seconds and followed her light green trail.

For a moment, the greens were quite puzzled as they looked on at their blue siblings' "attacks".

"Aaaahh!" Bubbles was screaming dramatically as Boomer sent a kick in her direction. His kick _clearly_ did not touch her, but she flew backwards regardless. "He he, my turn!" she squealed, returning "fire" with a fist to the gut. But her fist merely tapped Boomer's gut and he let out a wail, flying backwards in false pain. They were even fake fighting _in slow motion._ The two blues laughed simultaneously at their little game.

Butch and Buttercup raised their eyebrows and actually looked at each other, both very confused and concerned.

As Boomer raised his arms to give Bubbles the good old "one-two", Butch raised his voice and sent Boomer dead in his tracks.

"BOOMER! JUST WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" he bellowed furiously.

Boomer started and blinked several times before lowering his arms and shrugging defensively. "I-I... I'm just fighting her, Butch," he offered, gesturing to Bubbles.

"That's not fighting!" Buttercup cried, throwing her arms in the air. "You guys aren't even TOUCHING!"

Bubbles looked ashamed of herself. "We were just _play_ fighting, Buttercup," she mumbled. "We didn't really wanna fight each other, so we _pretended_."

Buttercup and Butch both smacked themselves on the forehead. "You have to beat him up!" Buttercup said sternly, "Like this!" and she punched Boomer straight in the nose

"Ow!" Boomer whimpered, holding onto his nose. "That hurt!"

Buttercup rolled her eyes. "_Duh_!"

"Hey!" Butch punched Buttercup in the arm, and then kicked her in the gut. "No punching my brother!"

"It's not nice to kick my sister!" Bubbles cried out. She shoved Butch out of Buttercup's way.

And then all four of them started to argue all at once. Bubbles and Boomer still wanted to pretend fight, while Buttercup and Butch tried convincing them to really fight. The rain was pouring onto each of their heads, soaking them from head to toe.

**CRACK**! at the sound of the lighting strike, the greens and the blues, including Butch, all jumped and looked above. There, high above them in the sky, were two red sparks, growing larger and larger in the blinding light from the lightning bolt. The lightning seemed to linger for hours, though it was only visible for a few seconds. As soon as it was over, the two sparks of red began to fall, dropping like dead weight down to the ground.

The blues and the greens all exchanged surprised glances before zooming down to the ground to check on their leaders.

_**Brick**_

"Brick! Yo, Brick man! You okay?"

Butch's obnoxiously loud voice broke my trance like an alarm clock. My eyes flew open and I jumped to my feet. The rain had let up a bit, and now it was merely drizzling.

"I'm fine," I assured my brothers. But they were nowhere near me. They hovered around another red heap close by me. I scowled. "I said I'm fine!" but my voice didn't come out right. It was all high and squeaky and girly. I covered my mouth with my hand, not trusting my own ears.

"Blossom!" the blue blonde girl rushed at me and threw her tiny arms around my body. It felt strange and alien to me as I was nearly knocked down by her hug.

"What the—let go of me!" I mumbled into her shoulder. I shoved her once. She immediately took her arms off of me and I scowled, so very confused with it all.

"Sorry, Blossom," she muttered.

"Blossom?" I repeated disbelievingly. I looked down at myself. Was it true? Sure enough, I was no longer dressed in my baggy jeans and my red and black striped t-shirt. I now wore a light pink skirt, Mary Janes and a magenta blouse. I had a _necklace_ on, for God's sake. I slowly reached up on top of my head. My lucky red cap! It was gone! I searched the ground around me until I finally spotted it behind me. I snatched it up and tried to force it on my head—but it wouldn't go. There was a _big frilly bow_ in the freakin' way!

"Blossom, put that down, it's got boy germs on it!" the green girl scowled at me. She smacked it out of my hands and it landed wetly on the ground with a splat.

"Put what down?" I heard my own voice say dizzily. But... I didn't say that. I didn't say _anything_. I turned around and saw something I had to do two double takes in order to be sure I was seeing straight. There I was, sitting on the ground merely five feet away, but it wasn't me! I was standing right here in my place, looking at myself! The me on the ground shook his head, stood up shakily, and took a look at me-me.

"You had us worried, Brick," Boomer said with true concern in his voice.

"Not me," Butch laughed, "I know you're not a wimp. A little lightning can't never hurt a Ruff!"

My own brothers slapped each other a high five, approached the other me and slapped him on the back too, helping him dust himself off. But that me didn't budge. He was still staring at me dead in the eye.

As soon as he had looked me in the eyes, I ultimately knew what had happened.

_I_, Brick Jojo, was in the body of—dare I say it—_Blossom Utonium_. And she was in _my_ body.


	2. Chapter 2

**Me: Hi again guys, it's Marisa Lee here, back with chapter two!**

**Bubbles: he he! Yayy! Another chapter!**

**Buttercup: too bad we're not in it much.**

**Me: oh hush, you guys'll get your chances.**

**Blossom: fair is fair.**

**Me: thanks for all of the great reviews I've gotten so far, and for the favorites and follows! :3 they make me a happy camper. I wish I could reply to all of your anonymous reviews, but alas, the site forbids. Regardless, I'll get to replying to your reviews after this chapter. Ok? :3**

**Buttercup: can we get on with it already?**

**Me: sure thing! But wait; where are the boys?**

**Bubbles: they weren't here last chapter, either!**

**Blossom: they said they would be here...**

**Me: oh, you know what; they're probably just finishing up one of those ToD things. I love those!**

**Buttercup: not me!**

**Me: *rolls eyes* I know Buttercup, I know. ANYWAYS. I don't own the PPG or the RRB. But I do own the puddle. vv**

**Bubbles: EEE! Puddles! Can we splash?**

**Me: No. The Girls and Boys are roughly 16 years old and have normal features, noses, fingers, et cetera.**

**Buttercup: Good thing, too!**

**Me: positive reviewers will be rewarded with cookies!**

**xoxo ~ml**

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**Chapter 2**

_**Brick**_

"That was a wicked lightning strike," Butch said to the Blossom-me, shielding his eyes and looking towards the sky. It was barely even misting now, and both of my brothers were looking up at the clouds curiously.

"Are you alright, Blossom?" Bubbles asked me shakily, afraid to touch me now that I had lashed at her earlier. I smirked a little, remembering.

"I—er, oh!" Blossom stumbled, watching as Bubbles and Buttercup surrounded me. The look on her—well, my—face was a confused one. But it was handsome. Really dashing. I smiled, admiring myself, until I remembered the condition I was in.

"Well? Are we gonna go back to fighting or what?" Butch begged eagerly, bouncing up and down a little bit in his hurry to fight.

"Uh, no!" I said quickly, before Blossom could give orders. "Because, uh, because we're retreating!"

Everyone gave me a look of pure, utter confusion.

"You _are_?" Blossom asked, surprised.

"We _are_?" Buttercup repeated disappointedly.

"Y-yes. We are." I turned my eyes to the two girls beside me. They each exchanged a glance of questioning, but I waved it off. "Go on, get out of here. I have to, uh, find my other shoe." luckily, I wasn't wrong about my shoe. I was only wearing one. I pretended to be peering around the ground, searching for my other shoe, though its location was quite obvious.

"Uh...yes." Blossom looked around at my brothers and waved them away. "You heard him—_her_. Her. You heard her. We're done here. We won. You're dismissed." I almost smacked myself in the girly face. I did _not_ talk like that. No wonder my brothers were standing around looking like they had no idea what was going on. Quickly, Blossom realized her mistake and snapped, "Get out of here! I gotta get my stinking hat!"

With that, Butch and Boomer stared at her for another moment or so, then wordlessly streaked away into the sky. I was very surprised at how easily they left without question.

Following their example, Buttercup and Bubbles slowly but surely pushed off the ground and headed in the opposite direction, leaving behind only a cool double streak of blue and green. Finally, Blossom and I were left alone in the street.

Blossom

I'm not usually one to support the paranormal and things like that, but I sure was confused and frightened when I woke up after that lightning strike as _Brick_ _Jojo_. Maybe it was some scary nightmare, and I would soon wake up from it. After my sisters and Brick's brothers had left, I was the first one to speak.

"What... the...—"

Before I could finish, Brick cut in with a nice, polite: "Fuck?" I _never_ swear. It sounded so... Foreign and grisly on my tongue.

"Look," I started slowly. Brick scowled, breathing heavily. I have no idea what happened, but let's look at this positively, okay?" I shrugged, offering my best to him, but he spat on the ground. "_Ew_! Could you _please_ not do that while you're me?" I cringed at the disgusting act.

He chuckled. "What, so you can act all girly as me? I don't think so." He stared me straight in the eyes. It was like looking into a mirror. It was a little hard to believe that that was actually _Brick_ standing in front of me, in _my_ body. It was sickening. Every little detail was covered. He had my hair, my face, my body. Everything was the same. Well, everything except...

"Brick!" I gasped, noticing something. He jumped at the sound of his own voice speaking his name. "Your eyes... You have _your_ _own_ eyes! Look!" I pointed to a puddle on the ground, and he peered questioningly over it, studying his reflection. In fact, I was right. But of course, I was always right. Every detail about Brick in my body was correct, every detail save for those deep, crimson, blood red eyes, which were unmistakably his own. Curious, I slid in next to him, watching my own face become distorted in the puddle as Brick's became visible. Sure enough, my very own bubblegum pink eyes were in place on Brick's face. I turned to face him again. He simply stared blankly at me through the reflection in the puddle.

"Okay, we've got to do something about this," I said authoritatively. He flicked his eyes to me.

"Do we really?" he said sarcastically, "I thought we'd just learn to live like this _forever_." he rolled his eyes and crossed his—_my_ arms across _my_ chest.

"Brick, stop, now really, we have to figure something out here."

He lowered my arms and looked me in the eyes again. "Alright," he agreed in my voice. "Just what do you suppose we do about it, Miss Smarty-Pants?"

I ignored his mockery and thought for a moment, allowing the wheels in my head to begin turning. Luckily, while I was only in Brick's body, I still had my smarts. "How about," I mused, turning away from him as I thought. I still couldn't handle staring into those eyes, even if they were on _my_ face. It was all too creepy. "Alright, listen up." he raised his eyebrows expectantly. I tried not to wince at the mere stupidity of the way Brick's slow, deep voice came out with my words. "I know this sucks, but we're just gonna have to face the fact that we've been switched and as far as we know, there's nothing we can do about it. That means we're gonna have to live as each other for a while."

"For a while?" he repeated, making my voice go high and squeaky. "How long is a while?"

I shrugged. "Until we can figure out how to fix this."

Brick rubbed his eyes with my hands and groaned. It was a long, alien note that sounded scraggly and unclean with my voice. "Alright, fine," he agreed, seeing no other available option. "But until then, how am I supposed to act like you? I can't even be myself the right way."

But his words hadn't caused an impact on me. I was already thinking ahead. "Oh _no_!" I moaned, kicking the reflection of Brick and I out of the puddle. He raised his—well, my—eyebrows again questioningly. "I've got an algebra 2 test on Monday...!"

He kept his eyebrows raised. "...yeah? And?"

"What do you mean 'and'? If we're still stuck like this, then that means _you're_ going to have to take _my_ algebra test!"

At this, he dropped the questioning look and rolled his eyes. "Oh, please," he muttered. "We just switched _bodies_ for fuck's sake, and you're worried about your _math_ _test_?"

I felt cross. "Well, yes! I studied hard for that test!"

He chuckled and patted me on his shoulder. It felt so strange; his shoulder was so thick and sturdy compared to my own. "See, babe, rule number one on 'How to be Brick': _never_ care about school." he threw his arms out in a large shrug. "Just live life!"

I somehow couldn't grasp that concept. I shrugged it off and began composing a plan.

"Alright, let's see. We're going to have to meet regularly, to keep each other updated on goings-on and such. You talk to the Professor about two people switching bodies—_but_ _don't_ _let_ _any_ _suspicion_ _arise_. Got it?" He rolled his eyes again and nodded. "Good. Okay. Well... As for right this moment, we each have to get home. Our siblings are waiting for us. We can meet first thing in the morning. Just tell Professor I'm going to my violin lesson. Do you think you can handle one night on your own?"

Brick smirked. "Honey, I'm sure I can handle _one_ _night_ sleeping at your house... in your bed... with your hot sisters close by..." he trailed off dreamily and I gagged.

"Ugh." I groaned. "You're disgusting. You do realize that Buttercup and Bubbles are gonna think that you're _me_, right? So if you try anything, that's not only going to be disturbingly creepy, but it will immediately give you away."

He waved my hand and nodded, like he'd heard it all before. "Yeah, yeah, I was kidding babe, but hey, I still got your smokin' body to handle tonight." He ran his hands down his own—_my_ sides, shooting a wink at me.

"_Hey_!" I cried, smacking my hands away from my body. "That's _so_ disgusting! Don't do that! It's...it's immoral and gross! Ugh! Just... _Ew_!"

He smirked, shaking his head. "I may be evil, babe, but I'm not _that_ evil. But then again...it's not like you'll ever know..."

I covered his ears with his hands. "I can't hear you! I'm not listening!" I knew it was immature, but something nudged me to do it.

"Damn girl, do you _ever_ shut up?" he said quickly, leaning backwards and yawning. I felt my face growing hot. He laughed. "Hey! Stop that. Blushing's for wusses."

I shot him a look that tried to mean "shut up", but I'm not too sure how well that worked. Instead of letting him further criticize my complexion, I leaned over and picked up my other shoe, which had flown behind me with the lightning crash. I handed it to Brick, who, looking at it with disgust, snatched it out of my hands wordlessly. At least he, in turn, bent over and picked up his red cap, and, after glancing fondly at it, tossed it to me. He didn't even look at me. But of course, I was grateful for that. I hate having to look in his enticing, seductively red eyes... I shook away the thought and thrust the cap onto my head.

"There. Alright, how do I look?" I asked him stupidly, striking a goofy pose. Before I realized what I had even said, he stood back, admiring me. I tried not to blush again. _He's_ _technically_ _looking_ _at_ _**himself**_, _Blossom_. _Not you_.

"Hmm," he mumbled thoughtfully. He bent down and picked up a handful of gravel from the street. He smeared it all over my face and arms and smiled to himself. "There! Now you look like you got in a scrap!"

I rolled my eyes, dusting myself off. "Put my shoe on, and go back to my house before they worry about me."

He stuck his tongue out immaturely and shoved my foot into my shoe. "What about me?" he asked me, gesturing to himself in my body.

I nodded. "Good enough," I admitted. He could pass as me. "Just don't walk like you have a stick up my butt."

"You mean like this?" he did a penguin walk a few paces and shot me a maniacal look.

"Stop that!" I scolded, the red creeping up my cheeks again. He laughed and pushed off from the ground, my signature pink streak following behind him as he shot into the sky. I rolled my eyes. He was going the wrong way.

"Brick!" I called after him. "Hello, you're going to my house remember?"

He did a loop-de-loop in the sky, and then called back, "I don't know who you think you're talking to! You're Brick! I'm Blossom!" the way he said my name made me want to slap him in the face. But of course, I didn't. Because I would be hitting myself. I pushed off of the ground myself, watching as the unfamiliar red streak trailed behind. I gulped and sailed off in the direction of the RowdyRuffs' house as he followed suit in the opposite direction towards mine.

"Remember! First thing tomorrow morning!" I called after him one last time. He dismissively waved his arm in response, letting me know he got the message, and then sped off towards the Utonium household. I sighed nervously as I headed the other way—ready to take on my biggest adventure yet.

I just hoped that idiot Ruff didn't screw things up for us. This could be good—I could get some valuable information from Butch and Boomer while I was staying with the RowdyRuffs, posing as Brick—then again, he could also get some pretty classified information from my own family. I gulped. I just hoped information was all he planned on getting.


	3. Chapter 3

**Me: Ohai guize. Is it chapter three already? Wow this is going by quickly! I'm aiming for 15, what do you girls think?**

**Bubbles: I think it needs to be longer!**

**Buttercup: no way, 15 chapters? TOO MUCH READING!**

**Blossom: it's perfect, Marisa.**

**Me: _Thank_ you Blossom. You're too kind.**

***Bubbles and Buttercup stick their tongues out at Blossom***

**Me: hey, would you look who finally decided to show up, three chapters in?**

**Brick: yeah yeah, we're here.**

**Butch: we're popular dudes; we're in like every single one of these stories!**

**Boomer: we're famous!**

**Me: well it's good to have you here briefly, celebrity boys. Anything you'd like to say to the readers?**

**Brick: I don't think so. **

**Butch: nope. **

**Boomer: uhh... Hi! *waves***

***Brick & Butch roll eyes***

**Me: ooookay well then... ON WITH THE STORY! I don't own RRB, or PPG. But if I did, OH the things I would do... :) *laughs maniacally***

**Blossom: uhh... Okay... anyways... We're all roughly 16 years old and have normal features, noses, fingers, et cetera.**

**Butch: and MUSCLES!**

**Me: reviews are good. Flames are bad. They will not be tolerated and anyone who makes use of them will experience immediate defenestration. Enjoy!**

**xoxo ~ml**

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**Chapter 3**

_**Brick**_

Blossom was just lucky I remembered where she lived. Actually, I had always known—it was one of those things that dwelled in the back of my mind; subconsciously it was there, but I hadn't really known it until I found myself flying towards the Utonium household as if by memory. At this point, the sun was beginning to set, transforming the sky into a whimsical sea of purples and reds. It kinda reminded me of cotton candy; and that analogy made me hungry. I hoped the Puffs hadn't had dinner yet. I landed softly in front of the house and walked carefully up the sidewalk, trying my best not to look like a penguin.

It was then that I was faced with a problem. How did Blossom go into her own house? Did she use the front door? Was she expected to knock? Or did she fly in through her window? My gaze trickled up to the circular, second-story window above me. I knew the middle one to be Blossom's. Don't ask me how. I just knew. Jeez.

I decided the window would be the best bet in this situation, especially since the last thing I wanted to do was to call attention to myself. Luckily, the window was wide open, allowing a soft fall breeze to gently rustle the curtains. I flew quietly past the curtains and landed safely inside.

Blossom's room was very... well... _pink_. The walls were the exact color of pink bubblegum, and there were flowery designs all over the edges. She had a fancy, queen-sized canopy bed with pink sheets and a quilt, and a pale pink bureau which I supposed held all of her clothes and such. She didn't have a closet, because the room was clearly a smaller version of the girls' previous combined room simply split in three. As I took a few steps I noticed the carpet was thick and fluffy and very white, even in the darkness of the room. I made my way over to the light switch as if I knew my way around. I flipped it on, and immediately the room was filled with an ominous glow from above. I looked up. God, even the _light_ was pink. It was a pretty strange sight. I had only ever seen the room in the darkness.

The room surfaced many old memories, ones I tried my best to rid my brain of, but they kept returning, more nagging and persistent each time. As I looked around the room again, the color pink absolutely absorbing my eyes and mind, I closed them briefly and allowed my thoughts to be consumed by the memory...

*Flashback*

_I wasn't particularly sure what had summoned me to her house that night, but I **was** sure that I had to be there. I had just gotten a strange urge, and the next thing I knew, I was floating outside her bedroom window in the middle of the night. The moon shone bright above me and I winced, realizing exactly what it was I planned on doing. It was stupid and pointless, and yet... I couldn't resist._

_I knew I had to be very quiet, lest she wake up with the tiniest sudden noise. She always kept her window wide open in the summer, lucky for me, and I flew swiftly in with the breeze. As I landed on her soft white floor, she stirred in her bed, rolling over with a slight mumble. I froze, willing her not to wake up and catch me here, for if she did, I was dead for sure. But she didn't awaken. Her eyes remained closed, and her face turned away from me as she settled back down to sleep. I crept over to the side of her bed, watching her curiously as she slept. She looked so peaceful; so innocent, that I couldn't look away. I felt like I was in some stupid Twilight movie or something, watching the girl as she slept like I was some sort of a weird vampire creeper. What was I even doing here? I'm supposed to **hate** the PowerPuff Girls. But I just **couldn't**. I **had** to see her when she wasn't attacking me, and me, her. I had to see what she looked like... At rest._

_After a few more moments, I blinked stupidly, snapping out of the trance. What the heck was I doing? I couldn't be seen here. What would my brothers say if they caught me hiding out here in the middle of the night? They'd think I'd gone soft... and I **definitely** didn't want them thinking that. I shook my head in disgust at myself and retreated out the window the way I'd come, silent as a mouse._

*End Flashback*

Although I'd thought of it as stupid at the time, I'd made my trips back there several times that summer. Her window was always open and inviting; as if she somehow knew I would come. At times I got scared; I thought she might have seen me once or twice, her eyes barely opening and peering into the semi-darkness by light of the moon. But no, she hadn't, and she'd always turned over in her bed restlessly and drifted further into sleep—at my great relief.

Now, I looked down at myself for what felt like the hundredth time to see if it was really true, and of course, I hadn't changed. I was still in her body and she, no doubt, still in mine. This sure would take some getting used to.

I took the opportunity to have a look at my second favourite feature of the room—besides Blossom herself, that is. The one piece of furniture that wasn't pink stood out from all others in the very corner of the room. It was a dark black desk with a pink laptop on it, and a few framed photos of friends and family on the top shelf. I picked up one in particular, of Blossom herself, looking, well, stunning. She was sitting on a swing, hanging on tightly and leaning backwards almost as if she might fall. Her golden red hair flowed in loose curls behind her, and her white pearly smile twinkled out at me from the picture. Her eyes sparkled in the late afternoon sun. She was truly happy. Some people may find it conceited to feature a self-portrait on display in one's own bedroom, but I disagreed. I had many a time considered taking the picture to keep for myself, but remembered that Blossom was a very particular person and would most likely notice its absence. So I left it there, having stared at it long enough that it was engraved into the back of my mind. I recalled that photo whenever I was upset or unhappy and for some reason, it always brought me comfort.

I reached out to touch the picture, almost as if her face would become real and I would become myself again with just the act. Just before my fingers (well, Blossom's fingers, actually) came in contact with it, though, I stopped.

I jumped nearly five feet in the air at a light knock at the door. I turned towards the door just in time to see Buttercup swing it open and step into the room.

"Oh!" she muttered, surprised. "You're back? I was just coming to see if you were... How long have you been here?"

I shrugged, trying to be as girly as possible. "Like, I dunno, ten minutes?" I lied. It had actually been closer to five, but I didn't want the green girl to worry. She nodded as if she knew I was lying. Big deal.

"Oh. Well hey; I need to talk to you about what happened...can I come in?" I don't know why she had to ask, she was already halfway in the room. Stupid girls.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes and reply, "You're already pretty much in here, what's the point in asking?"

Buttercup's dark eyebrows furrowed into a frown with her mouth and she crossed her arms. "Well damn, someone's in a pissy mood."

I tried my best not to smile at that. Buttercup sounded _just_ like my brother, Butch when she said that. I gestured her to come in and put on my best Blossom act. It was time to test out what being a girl was really like. Buttercup floated over to Blossom's desk where I stood trying hard not to look at that picture again. That almost made me smile again. Butch always floated everywhere, too, because he was too lazy to use his own feet.

"Blossom, why did we retreat back there?" She shouted at me, suddenly furious. I stepped back, scared she might hit me. Buttercup was the only Puff I was legitimately afraid of. But I'd _never_ let her know that. "You know we totally could have taken those Ruffs! I was pumped! That idiot Butch got exactly what he wanted, too. Did you see the look on their faces? They were so smug! I wanted to punch all three of their lights out!"

At that, I was cross. "Hey, don't talk about Butch that way!" I blurted at her. I didn't care _who_ I was, _nobody_ knocked my bro like that.

Buttercup looked confused. "But Blossom... They're our enemies..." she trailed off when I said nothing. I'd told her off, sort of, and I was prepared to leave it at that. She sighed. "Look, Bloss, I just wanna make sure you're alright. You're not one to run away from a good fight."

I looked up from Blossom's picture (which, I admit, my eyes had uncontrollably strayed back to after a moment) and stared her in the eyes. Her eyes sure were wild. They were a bright, piercing mint green. Her hair was short and pretty, and her body wasn't half bad, either. She had looks that could kill. Alright, it wasn't just her looks. I knew enough about Buttercup to know that being alone with her in a room was never a good idea. Luckily I was an expert at hiding my eyes, so Buttercup would never know that I was checking her out. The more I thought about it, the more I agreed with Blossom: trying anything with her sisters would be way creepy.

I shrugged. "Yeah, I'm fine," I sighed, as if she'd really asked _me_ the question and I'd given her a truthful response. "I guess I was just tired. And..." I thought for a second, my eyes lighting up with an idea. "And a bit hungry." Actually, I was a _lot_ hungry. "Got anything to eat?"

At this sudden change of atmosphere, Buttercup was only slightly shocked. As her silence grew lengthier, I began to wonder if Blossom ever ate food. But soon, her scowl flipped into a little smile and she laughed lightly.

"What do you mean, 'got any food?'" she rolled her eyes at me. "It's Friday!"

I blinked. Should I have known what that meant? Probably. All I knew was that it was food-related. So I played it off like I knew what she was talking about. "Oh! Right!" I clapped Blossoms hands together twice encouragingly. "Duh, it's Friday! Of course! Food!"

I finished hopefully, looking eagerly at Buttercup. She raised her eyebrows and let out another short laugh.

I had barely been with Buttercup for five minutes and I had already discovered two things. One was that her guard was down the entire time I was talking to her as Blossom. She wasn't very defensive, and the more I thought about it, the more I wondered why she should be. She was in the safe company of her own sister, in her own home. She shouldn't really be expecting an attack there. I seemed to be a lot less afraid of her then and, as a matter of fact I didn't at all mind her that much. She was a lot more positive to be around. However, I knew that Buttercup was never truly happy unless she was out fighting something, or exercising her physical self.

Another thing I'd noticed about the green girl was that even though she was a tough fighter, she really had a sensitive side. She'd come to her sister's room seeking solace that Blossom was safe and she'd made sure she (well...I) was feeling well. She may have been hard as a rock and tough as nails on the outside, but on the inside she was gentle and considerate, especially towards her sisters. It was weird to think that there was such a soft side to her. In essence, I had discovered her weakness, but at the time I hadn't thought of it that way.

"Come on, the Professor's lasagna always cheers you up."

Then, before I knew what she was doing, she grabbed my arm. I pulled away quickly and stumbled back into the desk, knocking down Blossom's portrait. "Get your hands off me," I growled at her defensively.

Okay, so yeah... About that. You see, when I was younger, about eight or nine years old, both Mojo and Him got tired of being in charge of us all the time. So they sent us to this sort of live-in boot camp to be trained. At that camp, our 'counselor's' name was Jack. He wasn't all that bad at first. Jack would always encourage us to do our best and go easy on us. But then, as my brothers' and my 10th birthdays approached, Jack became more hostile. He shoved us. He pulled us by the collar and dropped us in the mud. He sometimes even carried around a whip and lashed our backs. Boomer and I still have the scars to prove it. Butch would always mouth off to Jack, and he got it much worse than the whip. But I won't get into that. Six and a half years we spent at that boot camp. Six and a half years of pain, suffering, endless training and built-up rage. On our sixteenth birthdays we were finally set free by Mojo. Him had forgotten all about us RowdyRuffs. It seems we had discovered who really cared for us all along.

Ever since then, I've been a bit... well, touchy. I can't let people lay their hands on me or get close to me. I freak out. It's just a side effect of all the whipping, I guess. I thought my brothers had developed the same problem, though Butch is always going out getting personal with girls and Boomer will forever be the "most affectionate" Ruff. Always hugging us and stuff. It's queer. But for some reason it was I who couldn't stand to be touched. My brothers were used to it by now, but... Of course Buttercup would have no way of knowing about it.

She stopped dead in her tracks and put her hands out in front of her. "Whoa, hey, chill out, Blossom," she assured me calmly. I could tell she was way stumped at my behavior, but I didn't really know what to say at that point. After a second she gave me a questioning, curious look. "You sure are acting funny, Bloss," she noted. "Are you feeling okay?" she reached up to feel Blossom's forehead, but when I cringed away, she stopped.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I told you," I said snappily. "I just..." I rubbed my eyes. I was no longer in the mood for lasagna. "You know what, I'm really tired, maybe I just need some sleep. I think I'll skip dinner tonight."

Buttercup was shocked, but she didn't look too surprised compared to what had happened moments ago. "Alright," she sighed, backing away from me. "But if you need me or Bubbles, just, you know, kick the wall or something."

I nodded and waved her out. She shut the door behind her and I shut off the light as soon as she was gone.

_Whew! That was a close one!_ I thought to myself, relieved. _You have got to be more careful, or they'll find you out for sure. Then Blossom will kill you. And how would your brothers laugh at you if they found out you got killed by a __**Puff**__?_ I shuddered at the thought and closed the curtain on the window. I remembered I had dropped Blossom's portrait when I freaked and I rushed to upright it again. The frame wasn't broken. I thought about changing Blossom's outfit for the night, but I figured I could cross that bridge when I came to it.

As I kicked off Blossom's Mary Jane's and climbed into her bed, not a single dirty thought crossed my mind. I had told Blossom the truth earlier. I was evil, but I was not evil enough to take advantage of her like that. Although I did imagine this being a bit different as I'd flown home from the fight zone earlier that day. I had imagined myself causing mayhem and searching all of Blossom's drawers for secrets. Instead, I was exhausted and burnt out and I just wanted to sleep—even if that meant sleeping in Blossom's bed.

It felt strange and alien, but still I shrunk under the covers and wrapped my arms around her fluffy pillow; it was how I normally slept. As I slipped easily into sleep I wondered hazily if Blossom was having any more luck with my brothers.

_**Blossom's POV in chapter 4!**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Me: Welcome back readers, Marisa here with another chapter c:**

**Blossom: this one's from my point of view so be ready to see how I deal with _these_ guys!**

**Me: *Whispers* Bubbles, cover Boomer's ears real fast.**

**Bubbles: *covers Boomer's ears as he sits there, confused***

**Me: (sadly) I'm sorry to tell you guys, that if you're a huge fan of Boomer and you think he's quite adorable, then this chapter might be a little gruesome to you. Butch is a big jerk.**

**Butch: HEY!**

**Me: just face the facts, Butch. Alright, Bubbles, you can uncover Boomer's ears now.**

***she does***

**Boomer: what was that about?**

**Everyone: nothing….**

**Buttercup: let's get on with it already!**

**Brick: yeah, the faster they're done, the sooner I'll be back in the spotlight!**

**Me: hush.**

**Bubbles: Marisa doesn't own us or the RowdyRuffs.**

**Butch: We're all roughly 16 years old and have normal features, noses, fingers, et cetera. And muscles, of course. *he flexes his muscles and the fangirls swoon***

**Me: reviews are like delicious soup .**

**Brick: why soup?**

**Me: because I like soup, okay? ON WITH THE STORY!**

**xoxo ~ml**

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**Chapter 4**

_**Blossom**_

The RowdyRuff Boys, having since returned from "training", were staying in a small shack in the middle of the forest, not unlike Fuzzy Lumpkin's' house. It was a small, one-roomed shack with yellow, deteriorating siding and ugly purple shutters. The roof tiles were falling off and it looked as if it would fall down with merely the wind. I actually wondered why it hadn't collapsed in the earlier rain and lightning strikes. Looking around in the evening light, I noticed some fallen trees and uprooted plants here and there, observing that the storm sure had an impact on the forest. Most of the animals were probably wandering around hopelessly, their homes destroyed. I thought in the back of my mind about how serious Bubbles would consider that situation to be. I sighed. I wanted more than anything to be myself again. Brick's thin red t-shirt and black shorts were comfortable, I had to admit, but it was pretty chilly standing out in the forest without a jacket or anything to keep me warm. I had to go inside the little shack sometime.

I figured it was now or never, and I approached the door. I could hear muffled, rushed speech from just inside the door. I put my hand on the fragile, cracking doorknob and quietly let myself in.

As soon as I stepped in the door, Butch and Boomer abruptly stopped arguing to look at me. I observed the shack, taking note of the small, beat up television set in the front of the room where Butch and Boomer sat playing video games, the colour-coded sleeping bags that lay on the floor in the corner of the room, and a small door in the very back of the shack which I assumed was the bathroom. I shuddered inwardly at the thought of the bathroom, trying not to think about the business I'd no doubt eventually have to cover in there. Luckily that instance wasn't now.

Butch leapt up off of his green beanbag chair in front of the TV and approached me forwardly.

"It's about damn time you got back, bro," he cried with a snort. "Took you long enough to grab your fucking hat." I tried my hardest not to wince when he cursed, but it was so very difficult not to. I was just not used to hearing so many swear words in one sentence.

Butch must've noticed my subtle flinch and he folded his arms. He was no longer wearing a shirt, and I averted my eyes from his built, bare chest with some difficulty.

"What? You okay, dude?" he asked me. "You look like you got run over by a damn truck."

I could feel Boomer's eyes watching me from over his shoulder in his place by the television, but he remained silent. I had seen the way his brothers treated him enough to know that he was smart to do so. Poor guy. All they did was pick on him. He seemed like a pretty sweet guy, though. I felt bad. I would try not to be too mean to him while I was posing as Brick.

Speaking of which, I had to come up with an excuse for my lateness—and fast. I blinked several times into Butch's questioning look before I took a deep breath and replied with my best Brick attitude, "Oh yeah, you know, I just got in a..." what was the word Brick had used? Strip? Strap? "...you know a — a _scrap_ on my way home. With one of those Gangrene guys."

I hoped this would cover up for me. I smiled hopefully as Butch eyed me suspiciously.

"Hmm," he pondered my excuse, and I knew he knew I was lying. "That's okay, me and Boomer know what you were _really_ doing, don't we Boom?"

Boomer now piped up as if he was eager to have an input in the conversation. "Yeah Brick, you were back there with that Puff girl!"

I gulped. Had they stayed back to watch the scene? Had they heard what we'd said to each other? Did they know I was a fraud? What would they do to me if they did?

Butch raised his eyebrows, his arms still folded. "So what'd you guys do? Make out? Did you get lucky?"

I crinkled my nose in disgust. Butch and Boomer thought Brick and I stayed back so we could _hook up_? Oh, please. How ridiculously stupid.

"_Excuse_ me?" I scoffed. Butch laughed at me.

"Hey, bro, no need to get all your damn fancy words out or anything. Boomer and I are totally cool with it. Ain't we, Boomer?"

Butch asked for his blue brother's input again, and once more, Boomer piped up like he was honored to be spoken to.

"Sure," he chimed, "Butch even said he thinks Buttercup is hot!"

Boomer started giggling like a little girl. It was funny, but I could see now why his brothers always picked on him. Butch quickly glanced over his shoulder and zapped Boomer with his laser vision, searing a black hole in Boomer's shirt on his right shoulder.

"Ow, hey!" Boomer whined, gripping his shoulder painfully. I was simply speechless. Did I even hear him correctly? Butch thought Buttercup was _hot_? How absolutely ridiculous. Then again, Butch probably thought _anything_ with two legs and a vagina was hot... I nearly giggled at the thought.

Butch turned his eyes back to me and grinned. "Yeah, so I think she's hot. It's whatever. Boomer's got a crush on ol' Bubbles."

His nonchalant statement was followed by a sharp "_Do not_!" from Boomer, whose cheeks had suddenly flushed a deep pink colour.

"Hey, you never answered me!" Butch said, pointing at me accusingly. "Tell us what happened back there with Blossom! Damn, she's a looker, huh bro? Did you give her the ol' Brick charm?" he laughed at his own 'joke' and flinched back as if he expected me to hit him for it. When I didn't, he stopped laughing and waited seriously for my answer. Even Boomer was gripping his singed shoulder, pretending not to be listening although I could tell he really was.

I scoffed. "I didn't make out with that... _Puff_. What kind of fool do you take me for?"

That didn't sound like Brick at all and the other two knew it, too. I really had to work on that. Butch raised his eyebrows curiously and Boomer smiled goofily.

"Aw, come on man, what'd you do, _talk_?" Butch said 'talk' like it was the most disgusting thing he could imagine.

I stood there in front of the door, barely inside the house, with Butch leaning in eagerly to hear more of the story. I tried to act casual as I pushed past him and made my way towards the red beanbag chair in front of the television.

"No way, we, uh, we didn't even look at each other," I stammered as I sat down, sinking deep into the chair with a nervous sigh. Being Brick was way harder than I thought it would be.

Butch followed my lead and plopped himself down in his own beanbag, still watching me eagerly. "_Dude_!" he groaned, disappointed. I knew enough guy-talk to know that meant something like, 'Why didn't you tap that?'

Boomer crossed his arms and propped himself up on his elbows, his shoulder no longer bothering him now. He faced Butch and me, and he had a creepy look on his face. I glanced at Butch to see if I should react to this, but Butch seemed to be ignoring his blonde brother. I guessed that it was a normal occurrence for Boomer to look at his brothers like that, so I tried to ignore it, too. After a few seconds of _very_ awkward silence, Butch sighed hoarsely.

"Okay, Boomer, what do you want?"

Boomer sucked in a breath and giggled like a little girl again. "Oh, nothing, but I was just thinking; what if one of us like, you know... asked out one of the Puffs? Like on a date or something?" He trailed off, whispering the last few words of his sentence at the looks on Butch and my faces. His cheeks turned bright pink again and he hiccupped.

Butch rolled his eyes. "Boomer, what kind of a fucking retarded idea is that? We're supposed to _hate_ the PowderPuffs, not _date_ them!"

Boomer squirmed in his seat. "Well, you know, I was just thinking and they seem to be like-"

"Tell him, Brick, how fucking stupid that is." Butch scoffed at Boomer and the blonde boy sulked.

Just then, my sister Bubbles' words from that very morning replayed themselves in my head. _"I like them! They're cute! Especially Boomer."_ Bubbles thought Boomer was cute... and Butch and Brick were nothing but mean to Boomer all the time. I thought this was the least I could do for the poor guy.

I put on my best Brick-brand smirk and shrugged. "Hey, I think if you like Bubbles you should go for it," I said to Boomer, completely disregarding Butch's surprised gasp. "I think she might like you too, judging by the way you guys were totally flirting-I mean, play fighting out there today." I nodded truthfully at my own words. Both Butch and Boomer stared at me with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"R-really?" Boomer stammered, hugging a corner of his baby blue beanbag.

"No, not really!" Butch interjected, throwing his arms up in the air in protest. "Brick, are you out of your fucking mind? Boomer, he was kidding, you hate that bitch!"

Boomer hung his head in disappointment. I was cross. "Hey, Bubbles is not a bitch! And I know Boomer doesn't hate her, do you Boomer?"

"Yes you do Boomer! I know you do, right?"

Boomer's eyes flickered from me to Butch and back again. He didn't know what to say. It was either get beat up by Butch or by me. Not that I was planning on beating him up, but he knew what to expect. He gulped.

I had to think fast before Boomer was really put on the spot. Then I came up with a brilliant plan. I prayed it would work, swinging myself around to fully face Boomer in false excitement. "Boomer! You're brilliant!" I exclaimed in false praise of the blonde boy. He blinked at me several times.

"Wha-I am?" He stammered.

"He _is_?" Butch spluttered, poised to punch someone, but I could tell he had no idea which one of us he wanted to hit.

I rolled my eyes. "Of course he is, you... you idiot!" I still wasn't used to the whole playful banter thing. "Boomer's plan is completely foolproof! Why didn't you think of it?"

Butch and Boomer were confused.

"My plan?"

"_His_ plan?" Butch scoffed. "Boomer can't come up with plans; he can barely tie his own shoes."

I threw my arm around my pretend 'brother'. "Well, he sure came up with this one, didn't you Boom?" I was on a roll. I couldn't stop now, or else I'd be dead. I have not the slightest idea what came over me, but right then and there I suddenly had the courage of ten thousand men. The other two were absolutely speechless, but they played along because I was their leader now, and they essentially had no choice.

"Listen," I said to the other two, leaning in, getting ready to explain my ('Boomer's') excellent plan. "Boomer's saying that we should... you know... go after those Puffs and try to win their hearts, because once we've got them, we've got a valuable weakness which we can use to take them down once and for all!"

The other Ruffs' eyes suddenly lit up. Boomer nodded eagerly and I could tell he was relieved.

"Yeah! That was my plan the whole time!" He cried innocently, smiling that same old goofy smile. I looked cautiously to Butch now, seeing if he would take the bait.

He crinkled his eyebrows for a few seconds, thinking it over. Boomer and I held our breath. Finally, Butch shrugged. "It's worth a try," he said casually. "And I could always use another chance for some action!" He winked. I nearly gagged while Boomer burst into laughter. I plastered my best fake smile on my face and nodded.

"Awesome," I said quickly, both relieved and revolted at the same time. What was I _doing_? I was giving the Ruffs an open opportunity to get with my sisters! Didn't I hear what Butch had said about Buttercup? I wasn't as worried about Boomer, though. He was too gentle and sweet to hurt a fly. But an _ambush_? Why did I _ever_ suggest that? Butch had been right, surprisingly. What a stupid idea, indeed!

After Boomer and Butch had their laughing fit, they each picked up a remote controller from the floor and Butch tossed one to me. Each controller was connected to a small game console at the base of the tiny television.

"Alright," Butch said seriously. "So we'll get those Puffs tomorrow. But for now, it's Call of Duty time." He turned his gaze to Boomer. "Turn the TV on, Boom." Boomer snapped up out of his chair and tripped over himself trying to turn on the set. A blue screen was presented as he did, followed by the Xbox logo and a home screen.

"I'm leading," Butch said. I had no idea what he meant by that. Call of Duty? Didn't Buttercup have this game? I thought I remembered seeing her play it once. It had guns and war and lots of hideous camouflage. I held the game controller tightly in my hands and studied it. There were about three million buttons on it, plus four on the tops where my index fingers go.

Boomer whined, "You always lead!" and Butch threw a gaze that caused Boomer to cover his singed shoulder and keep his mouth shut.

The game began almost immediately and my character was dead before I knew it.

"Whoa!" Boomer laughed. "Brick, Butch got you good!"

Butch laughed with him, "Better luck next time, noob."

I crinkled my nose as my character respawned. What's a noob? I wondered to myself. After a few twiddlings on the remote, I finally discovered that the right joystick moved my character and the A button shot my gun. I hated gun games. I always lost because I couldn't handle them. Buttercup was always the gamer. She could beat anyone in any game I knew. Bubbles tried playing once, too, but she ran away screaming when a Nuke got her right in the head. My only issue with games such as these was, admittedly, addiction. I got far too into them and I freaked out whenever I didn't win-which was often. So I reluctantly approached this one with great caution...

"Oh!" I exclaimed as my character was mauled for the third time. "Did you see that? I was so close to getting you first!"

Butch and Boomer just laughed again. They were obviously enjoying my struggle with the game.

"Damn, Brick, you sure are off today," Butch smirked as he killed me, _yet again_. "Even Boomer's crushing you."

At that, Boomer giggled. Again. What was that boy's issue with giggling? I scowled and gripped my controller tightly. These boys were gonna _pay_.

*Three hours later*

"_What_!" Butch cried, slamming his controller down on the ground in absolute fury. I jumped up at the same time with a cheer. "How did you beat me! You fucking _suck_!"

"Ha-ha!" I laughed, tearing Brick's hat off my head and running his coarse hands through his long red hair. It was almost as long as mine and it had come loose of its ponytail in the epic showdown between Butch and me. I did sort of a victory dance. Butch glared at me with complete angst and let a strong punch fly into Brick's right arm. I dropped the controller and grasped Brick's arm, bracing myself for pain, but extreme pain never came. It must not have been a very hard punch, because it didn't hurt me more than one of Bubbles' meager ones. I was aiming to hit him back until I suddenly remembered where, and more importantly _who_ I was. This was so... strange. Here I was, playing mindless video games with Butch and Boomer at eleven at night. I had to get to bed soon, I knew. But I wondered how easy that would be for me here. I forced a yawn and shoved the hat nonchalantly back on Brick's head.

I figured I would give the sleeping thing a shot. "I'm tired," I said bluntly. _Well, that could have been better thought out_, I thought to myself stupidly. Butch gave me another confused look.

"Dude, it's not even midnight," he said with a laugh. "You can't be fucking tired already."

Then I glanced over at Boomer, looking for help. But Boomer was completely passed out on his beanbag chair. I'd forgotten about him in Butch and my little 'battle' moments ago, and he had simply slipped into sleep during it.

Butch must've seen me looking at Boomer, because he eyed me curiously. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked with an evil look in his eyes.

"Probably not," I disagreed, shaking my head quickly. He inched closer to me.

"Two words." He held up two fingers. "Worm. Duck tape."

Before I could retort that this was in fact _three_ words, not two, he flew over to the door in the corner. I had thought it was a bathroom, but I was mistaken. It was a closet. He rummaged around in there for a few minutes before pulling out a roll of silver Duck tape. He whirled around and grinned.

"Go get the worm."

I gulped. "You-you want me to go out there and... and dig up a _worm_?" I asked disbelievingly.

He rolled his eyes. "No, fucktard, I want you to pull it out of your ass. _YES_, go dig one up. Hurry!"

"With my hands?"

"Use your dick for all I care," he mumbled, twirling the roll of duck tape between his hands.

Before he could punch me and actually make it hurt this time, I flew out to the front 'yard' in the forest, got down on my hands and knees and started to dig in a soft patch with my hands. I had no choice. I wasn't entirely sure what Butch's idea of the worm and duck tape was, but I was sure I wouldn't like it. After a few minutes of digging, I came across a fat, slimy worm digging its way through the dirt. I held my breath as I picked it up between my fingers and placed it in my other hand. Disgusting! What could Butch possibly want with this worm? I hoped he wasn't going to duck tape the poor thing to Boomer...

I flew back inside and handed the little creature to Butch, who took it eagerly. I didn't want to play this game anymore. I made my way over to the corner where the Boys' colour-coordinated sleeping bags were strewn around and threw myself down on the red one. It smelled of musk and sweat. It was so gross. Boomer was still sound asleep in the beanbag chair.

"Good idea," Butch whispered as he approached Boomer quietly. "Pretend like you're asleep. Then when he starts bawling we'll act like we had nothing to do with it!"

Bawling? Butch was planning on making Boomer cry? That _poor guy_. I couldn't watch. Whatever it was Butch was planning on doing, I didn't want to see it. I pulled the smelly sleeping bag over my head and did as Butch had instructed—I acted like I was asleep.

It felt like I sat there for hours, trapped in that stinky sweat cave waiting for Butch to finish his 'plan'. All I heard was the soft rustle of the trees outside. Butch and Boomer were absolutely silent. I was just about to come out of hiding to make sure they were both still alive when I heard a high-pitched, muffled scream. At the same time, I felt Butch pile on top of me and under his green sleeping bag, laughing out loud. I couldn't help but peek out of the cave, one for fresh air, and two because I just had to see what was going on. First I looked to my left, where Butch was also peeking out of his sleeping bag, his face red with laughter. I was afraid to look in the direction of the muffled screams, but I had to.

Boomer was keeled over in front of the beanbag chair on the floor, a strip of duck tape over his mouth. I gasped. I knew Butch and Brick were mean to Boomer, but I didn't know it was _this_ bad. Boomer ripped the duck tape off his mouth with a cry and I winced as the worm fell out of his mouth in a slimy mess of saliva. I could tell he was on the verge of tears as he stumbled over the beanbag and pulled out a water bottle from underneath it. He chugged the water and Butch was still laughing uncontrollably. What sort of sick joke was this? I couldn't say anything, though. I was supposed to be acting like Brick. And Brick wouldn't have felt bad for Boomer. He would have laughed.

But as Boomer say there, the water from the bottle trickling down his red face and neck, trying to laugh with Butch and trying not to cry at the same time, I couldn't do it. I wasn't going to laugh at Boomer for this. It was sick. So I let Butch have his moment of pleasure, sinking back in to bury myself in the strong stench again. But I'd much rather be trapped in that smelly cave of sweat than be forced to laugh at something that was _not_, by any means, hilarious.


	5. Chapter 5

**Me: SALUTATIONS EVERYONE! I must apologize for the great sadness in the previous chapter. It hurt me to write it. Honest, it did. But no worries. It gets better eventually...**

**Boomer: what? What happened?**

**Everyone: ...**

**Me: WELL, ANYWAYS... I'd just like to give a big huge cookie to all of my reviewers, alert people, favorite author/story I've gotten lately :3 you are what motivates me to update frequently! I try to reply to at least your first review to let you know I'm listening. If I didn't, I'm sorry, here's a million lightning bugs Dx**

**Bubbles: I want some!**

**Me: no. They're only for the reviewers. But you can have a cookie if you present the disclaimer.**

**Bubbles: YAY! Okay, um, Marisa doesn't own us or the RowdyRuff Boys but she secretly wishes she could!**

**Me: x.x UH, THANK you, that's enough, Bubbles. *gives cookie***

**Buttercup: oh! Uh, we're normal.**

**Me: say it right...**

**Buttercup: *rolls eyes* We're all roughly 16 years old and have normal features, noses, fingers, et cetera. And the RowdyRuffs look like hideous ugly cows.**

**Butch: HEY!**

**Me: good enough. ON WITH THE STORY!**

**Boomer: don't forget to review! :3**

**xoxo ~ml**

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

**Chapter 5**

_**Anon**_

Both Brick and Blossom woke up on the wrong side of the bed the next morning. They were moody and cross and cranky, and they certainly were not happy when they woke up only to remember the state they were each in.

Blossom snuck out of the Boys' shack before Butch and Boomer even woke up (Boomer had slept on the beanbag chair, and had spent the entire night crying himself to sleep, at Blossom's great dismay) and slipped into the woods, headed for the Utonium house.

Blossom figured if Brick was anything at all like her brothers, he would still be sound asleep at nine in the morning.

What Blossom didn't know was that Brick was in fact, wide awake, and was sitting up in her bed, faced with a rather... awkward problem.

Blossom them decided to make it her own personal goal not to drink any liquids during her time in Brick's body, or to even _think_ about them to any extent. Just the thought of having to empty Brick's bladder for him made her want to hurl. So far, she was in luck, and hadn't had much trouble with that. Yet.

Brick was not as lucky. He was sitting straight up in Blossom's bed, crossing her legs and trying to figure out how to deal with this. He wracked his brain, attempting to recall exactly how this was explained to him ... if it ever _had_ been, that is.

Blossom shuddered, recalling the two tall glasses of iced tea she'd consumed last night, right before the brawl between the Girls and the Boys.

Brick winced. _How much did she drink last night_? he thought inwardly to himself, crossing her legs firmer. _It must've been a whole water tower!_

Blossom figured that sooner or later, she wouldn't be able to control Brick's bladder anymore and she would have to take the trip. But for now, she sucked in Brick's gut and focused on making sure he was awake.

Brick winced again and concluded that it was either take the trip now or make a mess of Blossom's bed. And he certainly didn't want to be blamed for that. With his legs still crossed, he made his way over to the bathroom door which he located across the hall. Luckily, no one was in sight as he tiptoed in and shut the door behind him...

...Moments later, he exited the bathroom with a look of mixed relief and confusion on his face. We won't go into exactly what happened in there, but let's just say he was so embarrassed, his children would probably be born with red faces.

Blossom didn't even bother changing Brick's outfit, for one she didn't think it was very characteristic of her and for two; she had no idea where to even _begin_ to look for his other clothes. Maybe he didn't have any, she didn't know. It wasn't really on her top priorities at the moment as she approached her own home.

Brick, on the other hand, was now trying to decide exactly what it was he should dress himself (well, Blossom) in for the day. He stood in front of Blossom's ginormous pink bureau, its doors swung open and inviting in front of him.

Now, monsters, he could handle. Mojo's robots were no big thing. Tall buildings he could leap with a single bound. But standing there next to this bureau, which contained more clothes than he could ever imagine existed, he felt small and weak. Blossom's clothes were colour-coded, each sectioned off into a certain shade and texture, also in the very rear of the bureau he could see two dresses through clear garment bags hanging on hooks. A drawer at the bottom of the bureau, when opened, revealed an array of shoes, also arranged by colour. There were another pair of black Mary Janes, aside from the ones he'd kicked off the night before, a pair of yellow flip-flops, two pairs of high heels (one pink and one black), plain white tennis shoes, a pair of fluffy pink cheetah slippers, and a pair of pink converses. On one door of the bureau he found hanging a long pink bathrobe which matched the slippers perfectly. He gulped at the sight of the robe and reached up to fondle the soft fabric—

—not before he was interrupted by a light, sharp **tap, tap, tap** at the window.

He whirled around, faced the window, and was met with what he thought at first to be his own reflection. But it wasn't. It was Blossom, of course. He wordlessly struggled with the window for a moment before it was cranked open by her on the opposite side.

"Good. You're up," she said, flying in through the window and landing on her own floor. She peered suspiciously around the room, making sure nothing was destroyed or harmed. She found no difference but the bureau, which was wide open. She eyed Brick questioningly, observing the outfit he still wore from the day previous. "Did you _sleep_ in that?" she asked, disgusted.

Brick shrugged. "I was tired."

Blossom rolled her eyes and turned to face the bureau again, but not without noticing the bed first.

"Brick!" she cried quietly, taking care not to wake up her sisters, who were no doubt still asleep (as they usually were on a Saturday morning). She flew over to the bed, fluffing out the pillows and pulling up the covers with great care. "You're supposed to make the bed every morning as soon as you wake up!"

Brick rolled his eyes and folded Blossom's arms across her chest. "Yeah, whatever," he said in Blossom's voice. Blossom rolled her eyes, and having fixed the bed, she flew back over to the bureau.

"Now," she said, rubbing Brick's calloused hands together. "I have to pick something for you to wear..."

Brick scowled. "Does it _matter_?" he whined. She ignored him and started fingering through the familiar array of colourful outfits, eventually choosing a lavender and white flowered blouse with a pair of white Capri's to match. It was a very simple outfit, easy enough for even Brick to understand. She went to hand it to Brick, but then decided against it, pulling back the hangers as soon as she'd presented them, her own look of doubt and concern etched onto Brick's handsome face.

"What?" Brick watched her second-guess herself about the clothes and put a finger to Brick's temple to think.

"I don't want you dressing me!" Blossom protested. "It's creepy!"

Brick smirked. "Well, then I'll close my eyes and you can do it yourself." He had been one hundred percent kidding, but Blossom, it seemed, considered this a sufficient idea.

"Alright," she agreed, to Brick's great surprise. "But you _have_ to close your eyes. No peeking."

Brick shrugged, still not believing it was true, and closed his eyes tightly allowing for Blossom to quickly undress and redress her own body with ease. Within minutes, Brick was changed, Blossom very proud of her work. She had gotten into the habit of removing Brick's red cap and running his fingers through his auburn hair. She did that now, as Brick watched curiously. It was funny, because Brick was hung up on that very same habit himself, when he was in his own body. Blossom took one look at her own hair, a bit messy and unkempt after Brick's sleep last night, and she sighed, deciding that it was not the most important thing on the list and that maybe she could help him take care of it later.

"Okay," Blossom said with a satisfactory sigh. "Now go downstairs and remind the Professor that you've got a piano lesson."

Brick nodded, putting on his best Blossom impersonation and did as she told him.

As he left, Blossom's eyes swept the room over once more, observing the desk in the corner of the room where all of her knick knacks were shelved. There was something different about the shelf, but she couldn't quite place it. On the top shelf was every one of her favourite memorable photos—well, _almost_ every one. The one of her on the swing, her favourite photo, was not in its usual space. She glanced around, on the floor, on the second shelf, and even under her laptop. It was nowhere to be found. Just when she was about to give up, she spotted the frame by her bed. There on her bedside table was the photo, resting atop one of her books and facing the pillow. Blossom smiled to herself as Brick returned.

"He said to make sure you keep your wrists up," Brick restated with a bored expression on Blossom's face. Blossom nodded.

"Of course he did," she said, waving it off. "He always says that. Now let's get going before Buttercup and Bubbles wake up."

As Blossom led them out the window, because she obviously couldn't use the stairs, Brick turned to her and asked, "Where is it that we're going, exactly?"

Blossom huffed. She'd made it out the window in one piece. That window was a _lot_ harder to climb through as a RowdyRuff Boy. She helped Brick through the window and straightened her shoulders.

"Well, since we can't stay here, and we can't go to your house, I figured we would go somewhere in the forest where nobody can see us going over 'game plans', if you will."

They took off towards the distant trees, flying silently and steadily through the crisp morning air. When at last they happened upon a nice clearing in the wood, Brick sat down on a large rock and yawned.

"It's too early," he whined, rubbing his eyes with Blossom's hands. In doing so, he smeared what little makeup she'd had on the day before and she glared at him. "I never get up before noon on a Saturday!"

Blossom had landed beside him in the grass and was pacing back and forth, Brick's hands plastered behind her. "Yes, I know," she said solemnly. "Your brothers were out like rocks when I left."

"Speaking of those devils, how was your night?" Brick asked her sincerely, watching her with a not-at-all false look of concern. "They didn't give you any shit, did they?" She was surprised. She hadn't known that he could even fake that much sincerity.

Blossom calmly sat down in the grass across from him. It was a beautiful and comfortably warm autumn day. The birds were chirping high above their heads. The trees framed the little clearing in a gentle shade, and as Blossom looked up, she couldn't see a single cloud in the sky.

She sighed, deciding that she would be honest in her reply. "Actually, I had an awful night. I was interrogated by Butch, came up with a stupid plan on the spot, and saw how it is that you and Butch _really_ treat poor Boomer."

Brick laughed. "Did he do the ol' hot spoon trick again?" Blossom looked appalled at him.

"_No_," she said hesitantly. "It was disgusting and unfortunate."

"Ah, he must've pulled the worm one then!" Brick exclaimed, clapping Blossom's hands together excitedly. "We've been waiting for ever for Boomer to fall asleep so we could try it! How'd it work?"

Blossom was outraged. "It was _horrible_!" she cried, squinting her eyes and crossing Brick's arms. "He was nearly in tears!"

Brick could not stop laughing. He rolled off the rock and onto the forest floor in a complete fit. He clutched his stomach and pounded his fist on the soft forest ground. His ruby eyes filled with tears.

Blossom waited patiently for him to finish being a complete spazz before she spoke. "You're terrible people."

Brick pointed at himself innocently. "Why me? It was Butch's idea!"

"Get off the ground; you're getting my pants dirty."

Brick rolled his eyes but did as he was told. "All you ever do is nag." She crinkled Brick's eyebrows and slapped him forcefully on the shoulder. He pretended like it didn't even happen. "Hey, what was that plan you were talking about?"

Blossom grudgingly explained to Brick about how she had basically put a plan in Boomer's mouth. Brick was amused.

"So my baby brothers have crushes on your sisters? That's cute."

_**Blossom**_

Brick smirked that same old smirk that he'd always had, even though he was using _my_ face to do it. I know that I could never make my own face do that even if I tried. It was Brick's signature smirk. Whenever he used that smirk on anyone, be it foe or female, his starry, ruby eyes sparkled. Now, I would never admit it to anyone, but I loved that smirk. Maybe not the smirk in particular, but the way his eyes teased me like that...

I shook my head. It was not the time for fantasizing. _Especially_ not about Brick. After what he and Butch had planned against Boomer, I hardly wanted to imagine being near him, let alone be stuck in his body.

_**Brick**_

Okay, waking up at nine AM, going to the bathroom, and getting dressed by Blossom with me in her body was disturbing enough in itself, but as an added bonus, I got to be dragged off into the middle of the forest for a little 'talk' with her. I guess the plan was that we were supposed to share stories about our adventures in each others' bodies? That's sickening. Like some sort of demented book club. Or an AA meeting. "_Hi, my name is Brick and I'm stuck in my counterpart's body..."_ I shuddered at the thought. Well, at least it was a nice day. And I did get to spend the morning with a really hot girl.

"No, Brick, it's not cute," Blossom was saying. "It's creepy. Do you know what Butch has planned for today?"

"Blossom..." I started, trying to calm her down before she really got going.

"I mean, _I_ don't even know the details of it, but I imagine it must be horrible! Poor Buttercup! She may be strong, but she can't get rid of your brother on her own!"

Too late. I sighed. "Blossom?"

"And Boomer is one huge deal in itself, with the whole Bubbles thing, but Butch? I don't think I can handle that kind of pressure!"

"Hey! _Blossom_!" I grabbed her by my own shoulders. Man, it felt weird. Like jumping through a mirror. Except every other mirror I've looked in was _far_ less talkative. She snapped her gaze to me, coming out of the trance. I rubbed Blossom's hands on my shoulders, slowly. It felt _so_ weird. "Hey, calm down okay? You're talking a mile a minute. My brothers may be idiots, but they're not completely retarded." I lowered my hands awkwardly and she lowered her gaze. "Look, I know Butch seems like a real creep, but trust me, he's all talk. The last time he had a girlfriend, he was in sixth grade and he threw up all over her purse." I hoped that would be enough to console her. She looked a lot calmer than before. I would know what calm looks like on my own face. She nodded.

"I'm just afraid of this getting out of control," she said quietly. I smiled reassuringly.

"Relax. This probably won't work as well as my brothers think it will. They'll go all psycho over your sisters and then when they're rejected they'll get over it. Besides, Boomer's plans always fail anyways."

She looked back up at me. "But this was-"

I guessed the look on my face silenced her into understanding. I winked. I thought I could see a hint of a blush on her cheeks, but even if I did, she looked away again quickly.

"Well!" She said, standing up suddenly. "If your brothers are going to ask out my sisters, then they are going to have to do it correctly!"

I smiled. "And how exactly is 'correctly'?" I wondered aloud.

She turned around to face me, head on. Her bright pink eyes almost burned into mine. It was still creepy, like looking into that mirror again, only this time it was only her eyes that I could see. And they were perfect.

She grinned devilishly and inched closer, almost close enough for me to touch. "We're just gonna have to come up with something brilliant, aren't we?"

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**Me: ATTENTION READERS. First of all, thanks for reading, you're awesome. Second of all, do you have a nifty idea for how each of the brothers asks out his counterpart? (Brick included.) Please feel free to share. I have some in mind, but if your idea stands out to me I may just use it! (With proper citation, of course.) Leave your genius ideas in the reviews.**

**Thanks yew all again, and send in those ideas! c:**


	6. Chapter 6

**Me: Thank you all so much for contributing your wondrous ideas to my mind!**

**Blossom: you all had quite marvelous ideas.**

**Me: it's a shame I couldn't use them all. ): but I did choose the final product, and I would like to give a grand THANK YOU to the following people whose ideas I stole. I MEAN used!**

**Brick's - xp dead & Alvinitty **

**Boomer's - 1000GreenSun & xp dead**

**Butch's - 1000GreenSun**

**OH. AND ALSO, To Katherine Loves Kisses, who stole the idea of me having them go to the fair! -,- I was already gonna do that, Katherine! Thank you for reading my mind :3**

**Thanks again to all the ideas I got. You're all pretty ponies.**

**Butch: what?**

**Buttercup: pretty ponies?**

**Me: yes. Disclaimer?**

**Brick: she doesn't own us.**

**Bubbles: We're all roughly 16 years old and have normal features, noses, fingers, et cetera!**

**Me: now for the story! I'm sorry if this chapter is a little slow. T-T the next one will be better, pinky promises! Also, if you can't tell, I'm a huge Detroit Tigers fan ^_^ Read, review and enjoy! :D**

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**Chapter 6**

_**Anon**_

About an hour or so later, Blossom and Brick had pretty much sorted out their overall plans. Barring a catastrophe (and they had taken nearly _everything_ into consideration) they didn't see how their plan could fail.

"So what's the plan here?" Brick asked with a yawn for what felt like the millionth time. Blossom sighed exasperatingly.

"You just go back to my house and distract my sisters for a little while. I'll place the bait and decide where we'll all meet. And then I'll get your brothers involved."

"How come you get to do everything?" Brick whined.

"Because I'll do it right." Blossom smiled smugly and he scowled.

"So are we technically dating now?" he asked her slyly with a wink. She rolled her eyes.

"No, of course not!" she replied, crossing her arms. "That would just be weird."

"So I have to wait until after we change back into ourselves?"

"Yes," she replied confidently. He smirked. "Wait, I mean—no! No!"

But she had already said it. Brick burst into laughter again at her misfortune. She blushed angrily at what he'd made her say, but shook it off after a moment.

"That is, if we _ever_ change back..." she muttered seriously, causing him to stop laughing and look at her solemnly. They were silent for nearly a full moment, alone with their thoughts.

Blossom finally looked up and realized the time. "We should probably be getting back now. My piano lesson usually only takes an hour or so."

Brick nodded and stood up from the rock, stretching as he did so. A he stretched, he almost fell over with a huge yawn. Without thinking, Blossom reached out and caught him by the arm, steadying him. He just stared at her.

"Uh," he mumbled. Then he caught himself, smirking, "Damn Blossom, stand much?" he laughed at his own joke then took off in a gust of pink, but not without sending Blossom a wink first.

She stood there in the middle of the clearing, absolutely speechless. What the heck was that? It was bad enough that she had to look at _herself_ that whole time, but was she actually _falling_ for him? _Literally_! No. It couldn't be. She shouldn't. She _wouldn't_. Shaking her head, she sped off in a burst of red, unfamiliar light.

_**Brick**_

Blossom was so clueless. She had no idea what effect this whole switch thing was having on me. It was not only emotionally stressful, but now it was taking a toll on my physical self as well? It was just Blossom's clumsy knees. She couldn't stand straight if her life depended on it. And what's more, she was bossing me around! Who did she think she was? Some kind of dictator? Sure, she may have a tight leash around her sisters, but when it came to me, _that's_ where I drew the line. I could tell her sisters whatever I wanted to tell them. She wasn't the boss of me.

I smirked again as I landed on the front porch of the Utonium home. I swung open the door and let myself in, kicking off Blossom's shoes as I crossed the threshold. The first thing I noticed was the TV. Of course! The All-Star game was on today! How could I have forgotten? Maybe it wouldn't kill me if I watched just an inning or two... I made my way over to the couch and sat down immediately, gluing my eyes to the screen without noticing who was beside me first.

"Is it _too loud_ again?" a voice asked sarcastically. I looked to the side, where Buttercup was lounged on the couch with a Pepsi in her hand. "I'm not turning it down, the volume's at like, four."

I shook my head. "No, I'm watching it," I replied. "Turn it up."

Buttercup stared at me like I had three heads. "You're _watching_ this?" she asked, surprised.

I nodded again. "Yeah, I can if I want to, can't I?"

She shrugged. "I guess, but you usually hate sports..."

"Yeah, well, maybe there's a lot you don't know about me."

She was still utterly speechless, but she turned the volume up a bit regardless.

"Fielder's up," I said quietly, rubbing Blossom's hands together with eagerness in my voice. "What a legend."

Buttercup sat up and fully faced me again. "What do _you_ know about Prince Fielder?"

"He's only like, one of the best players to ever walk the earth," I remarked obviously. "Except maybe Babe Ruth."

She raised a questioning eyebrow. "Oh yeah? What about Lou Gehrig? Or Miguel Cabrera?"

I shook my head. "Lou Gehrig may have been a better hitter, but his fielding was the pits. And Cabrera can't run to save his life."

She was shocked into silence again as Fielder hit his third homer in a row. I realized that I wasn't supposed to have all this knowledge about baseball while I was Blossom, but I'm me. I couldn't help but show off my baseball genius when opportunity arose.

Fielder was just about to swing again when Bubbles stepped purposefully in front of the screen.

"Hey!" both Buttercup and I exclaimed, trying to shove her out of the way. But she was like a rock. Or a mountain.

"What's this?" Bubbles asked suspiciously, holding up a folded envelope in front of our faces. Buttercup and I studied the envelope from her hand. We both shrugged.

"How should we know?" Buttercup asked rhetorically.

"Well, it's got a note in it and it talks about you. _Both_ of you."

That's when I figured out what it was. Damn, Blossom was quick. She'd already written and planted the note and I hadn't been here ten minutes. Talk about accuracy.

Bubbles pulled the note out of the envelope. I was legitimately curious to know exactly what Blossom had written, whereas Buttercup was still attempting to shove her sister out of the way of the TV. Bubbles began to read the letter aloud.

"PowerPuffs:

Yesterday was fun. We should do it again sometime. Only instead of fighting, how about meeting at the Cityville Autumn Festival tonight?

Signed,

RRB."

Bubbles held the note up again with a questioning look in her baby blue eyes.

"What the heck?" Buttercup said, now fully attentive. She snatched the note out of Bubbles' hand and read it over for herself. I looked over her shoulder and examined it, too. I have to say, Blossom did a wicked job at forging my handwriting. It could have easily fooled anyone. Both Buttercup and Bubbles looked to me for an answer. I felt important. It wasn't often that anyone actually _listened_ to what I had to say. I nodded approvingly.

"So the RowdyRuffs want to play that game, do they?" I said in my best Blossom 'I'm-the-boss-of-you-so-deal-with-it' voice. "Well. I guess we're going to a carnival tonight, girls."

The girls exchanged a worried glance but I could tell they were excited. I'm great at reading girls' expressions. I guess I'm just great at everything. I'm Brick. I'm awesome. Duh. Now if only Bubbles would get out of our way so we could finish this game before "getting ready" for the festival...

_**Blossom**_

It was a piece of cake. All I had to do was slip the note in through Bubbles' window and the plot was set. The Cityville Autumn Festival was a festival that the girls and I visited every year. There were rides, games, and fatty fair foods that had been soaked in grease and deep-fried. Buttercup, of course, loved the food. Bubbles loved the games with the stuffed animals to win, and I loved the rides. The Ferris wheel was my all-time favourite. You could see everything from the hard metal chairs. You could even see Townsville way in the distance, if you looked with your best eyes from the very top. And at night? The fair lit up like a Christmas tree. It was simply beautiful.

It was the perfect place to have the Ruffs meet with the Puffs. That is, if I could get the Boys to agree to it.

"Where the fuck were you?" Butch asked as I walked in the door to their shack. I tried not to wince again at his swearing. He was sitting in his green beanbag munching messily on some Froot Loops Cereal straight out of the box. The TV was on and Boomer was nowhere in sight. Having spent nearly all morning in the presence of the real Brick, I was now much more confident and laid back enough to play his part.

I shrugged. "Why do you care?" I snorted, snatching a handful of the colourful cereal from the box and shoving it in my mouth. I was starving.

"Hey, get your own Loops!" he shouted, his mouth full of rainbow crumbs, some of which fell out of his mouth. I tried not to be disgusted as I scoffed at him.

"Where's Boomer?" I asked casually, sitting down on Brick's beanbag chair.

"Where the fuck else?" Butch shrugged. "You missed like half the fucking game, bro."

I had no idea what he was talking about, with Boomer or a game, but I turned my attention to the television, where there was a baseball game on. Butch started talking about infielders and pitchers, mentioning names that I was sure I had never heard in my life. I played it cool, like I understood every word, nodded confidently, read his emotions and mirrored them as my own. I glanced around the screen as he spoke and I tried to comprehend what was going on. I couldn't figure it out for the life of me. I wondered where Boomer had gotten to.

When Butch finished his rant about the players, I turned to him, prepared to ask about the fair. "So, I've been thinking," I started.

"You have?" he replied with sarcastic shock. "Shit man, that's not healthy."

I punched him on the arm, not lightly, but with a smirk. "I've been _thinking_ about how you're gonna ask out Buttercup."

He pointed to himself. "Me?" he repeated shrilly. "What about Boomer and Bubbles? And you?"

I shook off his last comment by waving my hand. "No, stupid. I meant all of us. We're going to the fair tonight."

I prayed this would work. Surprisingly, Butch took the suggestion quite well.

"Oh damn, the Cityville one?" he asked with an eager smile. "They got the best elephant ears, man. Remember we went last year and that kid threw up all over Boomer's shoes?" I tried to laugh with him, but it was hard. I didn't see the humour.

"Yeah..." I muttered. "Well, I left them a note, they're gonna meet us up at the fair tonight."

"Fucking super," he mumbled, his mouth full of Froot Loops. "Do I get to ride the Zipper?" the Zipper was one of the most popular rides at the Cityville Autumn Festival. It was famous each year for being the most intense ride. At least I knew enough about that.

"Yeah, of course," I assured him. He pumped his fist in the air but I smirked, failing at imitating Brick's signature face. "But you'll have to take Buttercup."

He scowled, dropping a fistful of Froot Loops on the floor. I laughed. He reached for another handful and chucked them at me. I threw a handful back. We were just getting into a full-out Froot Loop war when we heard the door slam behind us. I looked around to see Boomer's identifiable dark blue streak whip around the door and into his sleeping bag in the corner. I threw a handful of Loops in his direction, playfully seeing if he would come out. But I saw the look on his face. He had been crying. And he didn't want us to see.

"Boomer!" Butch called forcefully, following my lead but by flinging the now empty box of cereal on top of the blue lump of blankets. "We're going to the fair, so you can quit being such a pussy."

Boomer's head shot up and he looked at me through puffy red eyes. "We are?" he asked, sniffling. I wasn't about to ask why he'd been crying so I just nodded.

"We invited the PowerPuff Girls to meet us there at like eight."

Boomer was such a child. He hopped up from his sleeping bag excitedly and squealed. He reminded me so much of Bubbles. "Oh boy!" he cried, jumping up and down. "Is it like a date? Can I win Bubbles a stuffie?"

I had a feeling I knew what he'd meant by 'stuffie', but it made me snicker to think that he called them by that name. Butch rolled his eyes but I nodded again.

"Sure," I agreed, causing Boomer to jump up and down again. Well, I sure was glad it was so easy to get them to agree to it. I had been afraid they'd think it was too boring, or babyish. Plus, even if they were dirt poor, I had some pocket money left from my last five allowances (I'd been saving up for a new telescope), and I could surely pay for them and myself.

With both of Brick's brothers safely onboard with the whole carnival plan, and my sisters, I knew, would be all for it, I could just tell this was going to be one hell of a night.

_**Anon**_

It was a clear, dim autumn evening without a cloud in the sky. It was pretty warm for October, a comfortable seventy or so. Brick and Blossom each brought the others' siblings to the fair in an orderly, super-powered fashion, both flying in from opposite sides of town.

The PowerPuffs were all dressed formally enough for a carnival, but not _too_ formal. Bubbles sported a short baby blue mini skirt with a white v-neck and blue flip-flops. Her long blonde hair was pulled back with a baby blue flower headband and fell loose and naturally wavy at her sides down to her lower back. Buttercup was less formal, more comfortable in a pair of black short shorts and a lime green halter top and green high-top converse. Her jet black hair was loose as usual, with not a single accessory. Brick (Blossom) had allowed Bubbles to dress him, because he had absolutely no idea what he was doing in that field. He had on a pink button-down top with the same white Capri's from earlier that day. He'd gone against his better judgment and swapped the Mary Jane's for a pair of pink Ked's he found in the very back of Blossom's drawers. He was as comfortable as possible given the pretenses.

The Boys, on the other hand, were dressed casually, Butch in a black-and-green band tee with black basketball shorts and Blossom (Brick) quite alike, only she had kept the same black shorts and swapped red t-shirts once she'd discovered where Brick's extra clothes were hidden. Boomer, on the other hand, figured he had better look nice for the occasion, and had picked out a pair of white-blue-and-black plaid shorts with a sea blue polo to match. He'd even slicked his hair back a little bit and dashed on the tiniest splash of cologne. (Butch had laughed and called him a fag, earning himself a swift kick in the shin from Blossom.)

The two groups were ready to meet each other at the fair.

_**Blossom**_

"Okay," I told the boys, "We're supposed to meet them in front of the Ferris wheel. That's where you two are gonna take your girls off separately and I guess ask them however you want. But remember. Butch, Buttercup is tough. It's gonna take some persuasion for you to get her guard down."

"Don't worry about it, I'm the best persuasioner." he winked at Boomer who rolled his eyes.

"And Boomer, Bubbles is soft, so be careful with her. Ease into it, and don't go too fast. Make sure she's comfortable with you before you ask her _anything_. Got it?"

He nodded eagerly. Butch squinted at me.

"Hey, wait a second," he said suspiciously. "How do you know so much about those girls?"

I gulped. "I, uh..." I looked to the side. There they were! Standing by the Ferris wheel, huddled in a little circle. I regained my cool, looking sternly at Butch. "Don't ask me how I know!" I scolded, shoving him away with one hand. He shoved me back and Boomer gasped.

"Look guys! There they are!"

All three of us looked now, and there was a moment of recognition as the girls (well, two girls and a Ruff in disguise) turned slowly to face us. It was all dramatic. I watched Bubbles' and Buttercup's reactions as they spotted the boys. Bubbles' eyes lit up at the sight of Boomer and she waved eagerly. Boomer sheepishly waved back. I expected Butch to smack his arm down, but I guess he was preoccupied. Buttercup was glaring at him like he'd just killed her family. Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see Butch returning the glare. I smacked him on the shoulder and he softened it a bit.

I signed. Better now than never. I led them towards the others, meeting Brick's eyes now. I had felt his eyes on me the whole time, and now I watched them curiously. I could see a mixture of worry and smugness on his (well, my) face as we approached. This would surely be good.

_**Brick**_

I was the first to spot my brothers and Blossom, but I didn't say anything until either Bubbles or Buttercup did. Finally, I caught them staring at us, and evidently so did the girls. There was this moment where it seemed like Blossom refused to look at me. She stared at her sisters with this look on her face like she would give anything just to hug them, or have them recognize her now, but at this point Bubbles was ignoring her for my idiot brother Boomer and Buttercup was glaring at all three of them with fire in her emerald eyes.

When we got close enough for them to hear us, Buttercup didn't hesitate to speak up.

"So you pussies decided to come back for a real fight, huh?" the raven-haired girl sneered. I could see Butch was reeling to snap, but he kept his distance and his glare at a medium.

"No," Blossom eased hesitantly. I knew she was trying to be careful with her sister so Butch and Buttercup wouldn't try to kill each other again. "Actually, we're here on a much different note. The boys and me wanted to apologize for acting so rudely towards you yesterday, and as a symbol of our sincerity, we decided to invite you to the fair... As our _dates_."

I could tell Buttercup was appalled, but Bubbles seemed magnificently delighted with the idea. Butch was having trouble containing his laughter, and Boomer was blushing pinker than Blossom's bedroom. I tried to look shocked, as if I had no idea this was the plan, but I looked towards the other girls with encouragement, letting them know I approved of the rash idea. They were confused, but at least Bubbles was accepting. Buttercup had become that hard, stubborn girl I was used to, and I knew she would take some swaying to crack. But if there was anyone who could do that, it was Butch. Blossom finally made eye contact with me and nodded. So far, so good.

_**Anon**_

Blossom gestured to the boys, who approached the corresponding sisters.

Boomer spoke first, shyly, to Bubbles. "You wanna go play some games?" he asked her quietly.

Bubbles turned excitedly to Brick. "Oh, can I, Blossom, please?" He looked to Blossom for help, and the look in her eyes told him to agree. Brick nodded and Bubbles and Boomer took off in streaks of blue, giggling.

Blossom and Brick then turned towards Butch. Buttercup was still glaring at him, but every few seconds she glanced at Brick with a less intense glare, as if she was angry with him for agreeing to this plan. They waited for Butch to say something to Buttercup, but he just stood there, staring up at the sky. Blossom rolled her eyes and punched his shoulder. He snapped to. Brick smirked. She was learning him well, he thought.

Butch scoffed and sighed, rolled his eyes and finally met them with Buttercup's.

Before he could get a single word out, however, she folded her arms across her chest and said, "We're going on the Zipper."

As if it was an order. Butch blinked, glanced at Blossom, and then nodded. Buttercup grabbed his arm and dragged him off towards the seemingly-endless line of people.

And then there were two.

_**Brick**_

"Well that was easy enough," Blossom laughed, flicking her pink eyes to me. They sparkled in the dim light and I smirked in response. She had no idea how happy I was just to be going through with this plan. I didn't even know why.

_**Blossom**_

He smiled that same old smirk at me just then, but it seemed different. Yes, I was aware that he was in _my_ body, and I was all but ecstatic that he'd managed to dress me in something halfway decent (with the help of my sisters, no doubt), but there was something different about that smirk. Maybe it was his eyes. His tantalizing, dizzying eyes. In the bright, beautifully colourful lights of the fair, he smirked, nearly smiled.

"Sure," he agreed with a shrug. "But now what?"

To be honest, I didn't quite know. I hadn't been sure we would make it thus far. So I spoke my mind. "Well, the others will become suspicious if we don't spend time together as well," I began slowly. My eyes flickered up. The majestic Ferris wheel, in all its glory, towered above us, dazzling in the evening light. He saw.

He raised one of my eyebrows questioningly. I swear, he made more facial expressions with my face than I ever had in my lifetime. "Wanna ride the Ferris wheel?"

I smiled. "I thought you'd _never_ ask."


	7. Chapter 7

**Me: It's time for chapter 7 of Code Red! Wow, you get two updates in two days! Don't you feel special? I hope you're all as excited as I am! He-he. And don't worry; I haven't forgotten the other two couples, ButchxButterxup fans and BoomerxBubbles fans! In fact, you are liable to see tons and tons of fluff in this chapter alone.**

**HOWEVER. I have done you all the awesome favour of writing two little one-shots for each of those pairings because I am just that awesome, and I will upload them both in a few. SO I HOPE YOU ARE HAPPY.**

**Oh! And, just a special thanks to Alvinitty2468, who never fails to provide me with awesome ideas! Thank you!**

**Blossom: may I say the disclaimer?**

**Me: yeah, sure, go for it.**

**Blossom: Marisa doesn't own us (the PowerPuff Girls) or the RowdyRuff Boys.**

**Brick: everyone knows who you are; you don't have to remind them.**

**Me: the Puffs and the Ruffs are all roughly 16 years old and have normal features, noses, fingers, et cetera. Thank you all once again for your wonderful reviews! They make me write faster, don't ya know?**

**NOW FOR THE STORY! Enjoy and please, as always, review! :3**

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**Chapter 7**

_**Boomer**_

"Step right up, step right up!" The carnie called to the random passers-by. "Just one dollar, one dollar folks, for the easiest game in the world!" He spotted us walking side-by-side and eased in on his prey. "You there, Blondie!" We both looked up in surprise. "Yeah, you! I know you wanna win the lucky lady a prize, don't you chief?" The carnie winked at me, and I just nodded. Bubbles blushed.

"What are you waiting for then!" The carnie cried out, summoning the two of us in closer. "Just a dollar, one Washington to play the game!" I didn't hesitate to reach in my back pocket for my wallet and pulled out a dollar, handing it to the carnie.

"That's it, that's it!" The carnie laughed, handing me three red darts. "Now, all you gotta do it use those there darts to hit these here balloons. Hit two green balloons and win your girl a prize." He winked. I felt my face turn pink.

"Oh, she isn't my..." but my words were cut out by the carnie's laughter.

"Sure kid, and my job pays enough for me to afford life insurance!" He laughed loudly again. I wasn't exactly sure what he meant, but Bubbles sure thought it was funny. "Go on, go on! Throw those darts, kid!"

And I did. But I missed. All three times. Bubbles giggled when I kicked the booth in frustration.

"Hey, kid, don't take it out on my booth, for cheese's sakes!" The carnie laughed. "How about another try? Miss Blue Eyes over here really wants that stuffed bunny..."

I squinted determinedly and nodded. "Alright, one more." I handed the carnie another dollar. Three more darts. I'd get it for sure this time. I threw the first... and missed. Second... and popped a green balloon!

"Yayy!" Bubbles squealed, clapping her hands together eagerly. Her encouragement was enough to keep me going. I lowered my gaze determinedly and tossed the third dart... and missed.

The carnie inhaled sharply through his teeth as I cursed under my breath.

"Sorry, Bubbles," I mumbled, hanging my head sadly. Man, I couldn't do anything right, could I? She giggled.

"You should be!" she said jokingly. "You didn't even let me have a try!" the carnie eyed me knowingly.

"She's right, guy," he said. "How 'bout it?"

I glanced at Bubbles again. Her eager blue eyes sparkled up at me and I sighed. How could I say no to that face? "Okay." I handed the carnie my last single and the carnie gave Bubbles three more darts.

_**Bubbles**_

"Now remember," said the carnie, "Two green balloons and that stuffed bunny up there is yours."

I nodded, sticking out my tongue a tiny bit in concentration. It couldn't be too hard, could it? I threw the first dart. A direct hit! One green balloon down! Yayy! This was so much easier than it looked! I threw the second dart. Another hit! The balloon exploded with a satisfying _**POP**_! I squealed happily.

"Yayy!" I cried, clapping my hands together again. "I hit it! Did you see it, Boomer? I did it!" Boomer just nodded. I could tell he was solemn because I'd won it much easier than he had tried.

The carnie fetched the stuffed pink bunny from the top shelf of the booth. "Here ya go, kid!" he said with a laugh, placing the bunny in my arms.

I took it gratefully, smiling at Boomer. I giggled at the dumbfounded look on his face.

"You kids have fun!" the carnie called after us as we walked away. He winked at Boomer again. Boomer looked down at me, my face partially hidden by the bunny in my arms. I looked back up at him, still grinning widely.

"Thanks for trying," I said kindly.

Boomer scoffed. "I could've done it, easy," he said with a wave of his hand. "I just wasn't warmed up, that's all."

"Oh, sure you could," I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes playfully.

He looked at me with fake sternness. "Hey, I paid for that bunny!" He said, folding his arms across his chest.

I just laughed again. He was too cute to take seriously. I even told him so.

"You're too cute to take seriously." Then I did something I hadn't been planning on doing. It just sort of happened. I planted a small kiss on his cheek. He immediately dropped the stern look and his arms fell to his sides, his face flushing again. I couldn't stop giggling as I took him by the hand and led him to the next booth.

_**Butch**_

I swear to god, if there's one thing I hate more than telemarketers, it's standing in line. We hadn't even been there for five minutes, but already the wait was killing me. And it was awkward, too. Buttercup hadn't said a word to me. She stood in front of me in line, jumping up and down, trying to count the people ahead of us. I watched her as she jumped, I studied her features. Damn, she was perfect. She had that same short black hair that barely brushed her shoulders and a long, graceful neck. Her skin looked soft to the touch, and her body filled out in perfect curves, like a racetrack. I shook my head at that analogy. I played too many video games.

Finally, she turned around with a defeated pout on her pink lips.

"There are like 20 people in front of us," she muttered, annoyed.

I scowled. Damn, that was like an hour wait or something. Or it felt like that, anyways. I didn't have to jump to see over the heads of the people in line. I simply peered over their heads and saw the front. Buttercup was either really bad at counting, or she'd exaggerated. A _lot_. There were only about six people directly ahead of us in line.

"Oh yeah, we'll never ride the Zipper in this millennium," I said with a sarcastic roll of my eyes. She squinted at me.

"I hope you know," she said slowly, testing my reaction, "I'm only doing this because Blossom made me. And Bubbles seemed really excited for some stupid reason. Other than that, it's just to make them happy. Don't think you're getting lucky."

I chortled. "Sure," I agreed, resting my arms on the railing beside me. I didn't believe her at all. She wouldn't be able to resist me by the end of tonight. And I _would_ get lucky. I didn't have to worry about falling for her, either. Or... did I? I studied her out of the corner of my eye again. Her bright green eyes glistened as she looked eagerly towards the Zipper. She really wanted to ride it. I had thought that this whole 'date' thing was only beneficial to me because of my increased chance of action, but now that I was actually with her, that didn't seem like the case. She was perfect, and even I couldn't take advantage of her like that. She may have been strong on the outside, but if I let her fall for me and played her like that, it was sure to crush her. But then again... I had promised Brick that I would follow Boomer's stupid plan. And they both seemed to love it. I couldn't turn myself into a girl-loving pussy like Boomer. I was gonna try my hardest _not_ to let Buttercup get to my head. Even if she _did_ like all of the same things as me, and reminded me of myself, in a way...

I shook my head again. She saw. She looked up at me and raised an eyebrow questioningly. Now I had an excuse to look at her, full-on. Surprisingly, I felt as though I had looked at her body enough, and now I couldn't get enough of her face. Not just her full lips, her flushed cheeks, but her eyes, mainly. What was wrong with me? She was sexy. Hot. And that was my drive in this.

"Why don't you take a picture, it'll last longer," Buttercup snapped, cracking me out of my trance and allowing me to blink. I cleared my throat.

"Sorry," I said. We moved forward in line. There were now only two people in front of us. That meant we were next to get on! I focused in on the ride now, trying my hardest not to glance down at her again. She was really short, now that I thought about it. Almost a head shorter than me. This was going to be a _lot_ harder than I'd expected.

_**Buttercup**_

Damn, I swore if Butch didn't stop looking at me like that I was going to sock him one where the sun don't shine. But then again... It made me feel... Strange. No guy had ever looked at me like that before. Guys usually don't look at me at all, as a matter of fact. They run away in fear. But Butch was the only one who dared to look me in the eyes. And the way he looked at me made me feel... Special. But I couldn't. I hadn't lied. I _was_ only doing this date thing for the sake of my sisters. But that didn't mean I couldn't enjoy it, did it? Maybe I _wanted_ Butch to get somewhere with me. Maybe I'd let him. Maybe...

Finally. It was our turn. I sat in the little cage and Butch took the seat next to me. It was cramped and small, Butch and I were pressed up against each other like sardines in a can. It was really awkward. But I ignored it and gripped the metal bars to my sides. There was only one in the middle. Butch went to grab it and his hand covered my own. I quickly pulled my hand away and he laughed.

"You can hold my hand if you get scared," he said teasingly.

Please. "Me? Scared? Bullshit." I didn't even need to hold onto anything. I let that hand fall to my side.

"Have it your way," he said, following my lead and letting go of the bar. It was now unoccupied and we both glared at each other. His eyes held his laughter in, but I was being completely serious. This was just the Zipper, right? I went on it when they first got it last year with my friend Jade. It was wicked awesome. I was sure I could handle it.

The ride started. Stupid me, I forgot to inhale before we were whipped into the air. I let out a scream as the adrenaline rushed through me, whirling and twirling in eight million different directions. I couldn't feel my face. Or see. Or _breathe_. I was unbalanced and unsteady. I reached for the bar now, but instead of the hard metal, my hand felt something warm and surprisingly soft. I didn't really care, at that point. I was going to die. I was going to die. I was going to-

The ride jerked to a stop. I sucked in a breath. It felt good. I let my head fall back on the padding of the seat and I half sighed, half laughed. I turned to Butch, whose eyebrows were raised calmly at me.

"Um, Buttercup?" he said, as chill as possible. How was he so calm? That ride absolutely got my blood pumping.

"What?"

"I'm loosing the feeling in my hand."

I looked towards the handle bar. I hadn't noticed that I'd gripped his wrist instead of the bar. I was now holding onto his wrist so tightly my knuckles were white. I jerked my hand away and he moved his wrist, laughing again. I could feel my face getting hot and I looked away.

"Are you okay?" he asked me.

"Of course I am!" I snapped back defensively. "It's just the Zipper. No big deal."

He grinned as the man working the ride unlocked our cage.

"I guess you won't mind going again, then?" he challenged, his jade eyes glinting teasingly at me.

I squinted. "You're on." We rushed to get back in line.

_**Brick**_

I don't really know what I was thinking when I asked Blossom to ride the Ferris wheel. Maybe I was just bored. Or confused. Or uncomfortable. When she stared at me like that, her eyes sparkling, there wasn't really much else I _could_ have said.

Luckily, the line wasn't long. We waited for about thirty seconds before an open carriage slowly floated down to us. It was an ugly, peeling yellow. I handed the carnival man my tickets and Blossom and I stepped into the carriage. We both sat down next to each other and the Ferris wheel began its slow rotation, sending us closer and closer to the top.

"I love the Ferris wheel," Blossom said, hanging over the edge and looking down at all the people. To be quite honest, I wasn't one for heights. I didn't look down. Instead, I studied the inside of the carriage. There was a candy wrapper on the floor. 3 Musketeers. My favorite.

"Me too," I half-lied. She turned to me. God, I hated looking at myself. It was like... It was like discovering a new part of me that was hidden before. It was really creepy.

"No you don't," she said with a kind smile.

"Sure I do," I argued.

"You're holding onto the railing for dear life," she noted. She was right. Blossom's knuckles were white with my grip on the side of the carriage.

"So, I'm a little afraid of heights, big deal."

She giggled. It sounded strange coming from my mouth. Creepy.

"Don't look down, then," she said easily. "Just look at me."

I couldn't do that, though. It was way freaky; didn't she find it a little strange, staring at herself? I know I did. But I looked her in the eyes regardless. I found that looking directly into her eyes was a lot easier than looking at my own face. If I looked close enough, my own features faded away and her own face melted back into place. We were sitting there, at the top of the Ferris wheel, just staring at each other. And it wasn't a bit awkward.

_**Blossom**_

Looking into Brick's ruby red eyes was a _lot_ more interesting than sightseeing off the top of the Ferris wheel. It wasn't even like looking into a mirror anymore. It was just us. After a few moments, it became less awkward and warmer, and we didn't even notice that we were inching closer to each other. We were at the top now, I knew, because we'd stopped turning around and were stuck up there, just the two of us on top of the world. It was crazy, yet fantastic. My head was spinning and he leaned in...

But wait. This was weird. It was way too weird. I backed up, snapping back to reality and shaking Brick's head quickly. I couldn't kiss _myself_. That was just... ugh. Freaky. He stared at me.

"Sorry," he muttered, my cheeks immediately turning pink as he looked away quickly. I felt terrible. I wanted nothing more than to be back in my own body now, not so I could hug my sisters, not so I could be back in my own room, but so I could _kiss_ him. I knew it was wrong. But I really wanted to. Instead, I took my own small hand into Brick's larger one.

"It's okay," I assured him with a smile. The Ferris wheel started moving again. He stared down at our hands, fingers intertwined. It was sort of like praying... in a really twisted sort of way.

Finally, the wheel screeched to a stop at the bottom and I let go of my hand. He got out first, then reached back to help me out. I stepped daintily out, earning a few confused looks from people standing in line.

"Blossom!" I heard my sister's voice from the ground below. Bubbles was standing there with Boomer. Or at least, I assumed it was Boomer. He had about twelve large stuffed animals in his arms and I couldn't quite see his face. "Look at all the friends I won!" She was jumping up and down eagerly.

"_You_ won these?" I asked her without thinking. She flicked her eyes to me, a bit surprised.

"Yes, but Boomie helped."

Brick and I glanced at each other. _'Boomie'_?

A muffled voice came from behind the mountain of stuffed animals.

"What was that, Boom?" I said with a laugh. He shivered and finally just dropped the lot onto the ground. He took a deep breath and flexed his arms.

"I _said_, she won them _all_," he said with heavy disappointment in his voice. I knew he'd wanted to win Bubbles at least _one_ 'stuffie'. But she was a pro. She'd won all of them on her own. I laughed.

"You idiot," I chuckled. Wow, did I really just say that? Brick didn't even seem to notice. He turned to Bubbles.

"Have you seen Buttercup?" he asked her seriously.

She thought for a moment. "Um, yeah, I thought I saw them get in line for the Zipper again."

"Again?" Brick repeated. "I didn't think she could handle it more than once..."

I scoffed. "Please. Butch is way more intense when it comes to that kind of stuff."

He raised one of my eyebrows. "You would know?" he said, testing me. But Bubbles and Boomer hadn't noticed. They were too busy picking up the stuffed animals together. I pretended not to watch as they both went for the last one, their hands brushing against each other briefly. Boomer blushed and Bubbles, giggling, picked up the final stuffed animal and placed it in her arms.

With my (Brick's, I guess) super hearing, I heard her whisper "Thanks Boomie." and kiss him lightly on the lips. At that gesture, Boomer turned an even deeper shade of red than Brick's cap and sunk his face into the mountain of animals in his arms.

I turned back to Brick, to see if he'd seen what I had, but he was looking up at the Zipper. I directed my hearing to the top now, where I could hear Buttercup's familiar screams and Butch's laughter. Brick gestured for me to follow him and we both made our way to the exit of the ride.

_**Anon**_

"It was even better the fourth time!" Buttercup exclaimed, stumbling off the ride and into Butch's strong arms. He caught her with a laugh and steadied her.

"Come on," he said, "I think you need a breather." He led her towards the exit where he saw Blossom and Brick waiting.

"Hey guys," Blossom said with Brick's voice.

"The fair closes in a half hour," Brick pointed out with Blossom's voice.

Butch and Buttercup were smiling a million watts and Buttercup was still walking shakily from the ride. But Butch had a tight hold on her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and another held her hand firmly.

"I never want to go home," Buttercup mumbled dizzily, practically tripping into the bench near them. Butch sat down beside her and allowed her to rest her head on his shoulder.

Butch laughed. "You have to sometime," he said, facing the truth sadly. He also never wanted the wonderful night to end.

"But I didn't get an elephant ear yet!" she whined, sounding more and more like Bubbles with the high-pitchiness of her voice.

Butch looked pleadingly to his brother, who was actually Blossom. She smiled.

"Okay, go get an elephant ear, and meet me back home," she said authoritatively. Butch grinned widely and helped Buttercup to a fair stand.

Neither of them even noticed that their hands had been intertwined since they'd gotten off the ride. Or, maybe they noticed, but they didn't mind.

Blossom and Brick flew back to where they'd left Bubbles and Boomer by the Ferris wheel. They sort of wished they hadn't. The way the reds found each of their younger siblings was a bit embarrassing for them. Bubbles and Boomer were sitting on a bench, wrapped in each others' arms, intensely _making_ _out_. They didn't even notice Brick and Blossom approach. The reds silently backed away, leaving the two to themselves.

As soon as they were out of earshot, the two burst into laughter.

"My baby sister!" Blossom exclaimed, wiping tears from her eyes. "I can't believe this!"

"I didn't think Boomer had the balls," Brick admitted, sharing in her uncontrollable laughter. As their laughter died down, Blossom and Brick left the fair and started to walk together down the dark street.

"I guess the world works in strange ways," Blossom whispered, the faint sound of the fair fading into the distance.

"Yeah," Brick agreed with a smile. He didn't care anymore. He pulled his own hand into Blossom's and squeezed it tightly. "I guess it does."


	8. Chapter 8

**Me: thank you all as usual for the magnificently marvelous reviews! c; you all keep me sane, I hope you know. I really get off track far too much; as I'm sure you can tell. All those one-shots... x.x it's just too tempting for me. Once I get an idea, I can't prevent it from taking over!**

**I also have some mighty sad news... I'm going on vacation for a week starting Saturday! x( so that means I won't be able to update, probably. I'll be writing, but I'll have no Internet access! ): I'm sorry people! I'll update as soon as I can. I'll be back on the 14th, so as soon as I get back I shall update. And it will be well worth the wait!**

**The PowerPuffs and the RowdyRuffs are no longer with me at the moment... They're a bit busy doing who knows what. So I'll present the disclaimer and stuff myself!**

**I don't own the PowerPuff Girls, or the RowdyRuff Boys. They are all roughly 16 years old and have normal features, noses, fingers, et cetera.**

**Please read and review! c:**

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

**Chapter 8**

_**Blossom**_

The next morning, I woke up feeling groggy and disgusting. I realized that since I'd been Brick, I hadn't showered. And who knows how long it had been since he'd showered before that time? I supposed he didn't care about that sort of thing, but I know I certainly did. And it made me shudder to think that _my_ body hadn't been clean since the day we'd switched; nearly two days ago! But I supposed it _was_ for the best, anyways. I didn't want him in my body with absolutely _no_ clothes on! That was just disgusting! This was _Brick_ I was talking about. He couldn't keep his hands off a department store mannequin, let alone an actual female person such as me.

I shook Brick's head again and yawned, stretching his arms out to either side, hearing the refreshing _pop_! of his joints as I did so. I assumed it was about nine in the morning. I let Brick's arms drop to his sides as I observed my surroundings.

As the most responsible PowerPuff Girl, I prefer to get to bed on time and to arise bright and early. So last night had been a stretch for me, even for a Saturday. I know, I was such a loser. But you know what they say. "Early to bed, early to rise, makes a woman healthy, wealthy and wise."

I smiled, reminding myself of the quote and stood up. Images from the night before flashed in my mind, bringing the full smile out now. I probably looked like an idiot, standing there beaming to myself, but then again, who cared what I looked like; I was already posing as a tool of a redhead RowdyRuff. I recalled how Brick had walked—yes, walked—with me all the way back to his house, both of us laughing and talking the whole way there. I hated to say it, but I'd actually gotten used to the guy. Even though he was the biggest asshole I'd ever met, besides possibly Butch. As soon as I'd gotten inside I'd flopped down wordlessly into Brick's sleeping bag and immediately passed out for the night. I didn't even wake up when Boomer floated in and obviously passed out on his beanbag chair.

I studied the blonde haired boy now, lying on his back, his left arm hanging slightly over his mouth. He undoubtedly slept in that position to protect himself from another worm attack. I winced at just the thought, reminding myself to punch Butch in the gut for that later.

Wait a minute, what was I saying? I wasn't like that. I barely had an excuse to punch Brick when we'd fought. But even that was to the extreme. Why was I feeling so malicious all of a sudden?

Speaking of Butch, where was he? I peered around the one-roomed shack again to make sure I hadn't overlooked the raven-haired boy. But he was nowhere in sight. That meant... I covered my mouth with my hand. What if he hadn't come back from the fair with Buttercup?

_Ha-ha, alright, Butch! Get it!_ the thought had barely crossed my mind before I snapped to. What the heck was that? Why did I suddenly feel congratulations rather than anger towards my sister's green counterpart? I shook my head again dizzily. I needed to see Brick. I found his stash of clothes and reluctantly removed the outfit I was currently wearing, replacing it with a newer, cleaner one. With one last glance towards the sleeping Boomer, I darted out the door.

As I flew, I found myself searching, side-to-side, for something I didn't even know was there. Finally finding what I had been semiconsciously looking for, I took a moment to admire myself in a nearby glass building. Admiring myself? This wasn't right. But... At the same time... It was. I had previously chosen a pair of dark grey cargo shorts and a white t-shirt with a red stripe down the middle. I looked at my reflection now, found Brick's hands to be moving themselves through his hair, removing the cap so his hands could rustle his hair stylishly.

What was I doing? I snapped out of it, placing his cap back on his head and backing away from the building. But wait... What was that which I hadn't noticed before? I inched back closer to the reflection. I stared myself in the eyes for a moment and gasped at what I saw.

My eyes were no longer mine. They were now a full ruby colour, completely changed from my familiar tickle-me-pink irises to the less familiar dark red spheres. I gulped. Now I _really_ had to see him.

I sped off towards my own house, stopping occasionally to peek at myself in shop windows, puddles, and even glass doors, trying to see if the transformation was a lie. But every single reflection proved it true. My own eyes—the only visible pieces of me now—were gone.

Finally, I reached my home. Without thinking, I burst through the red front door by force of habit. I froze on the doormat, realizing what I'd done. Luckily, no one was around to see it. I prayed no one caught me as I zoomed up the stairs and found my own bedroom. I practically busted down the door in panic at what had become of me.

Upon entering the room, I took in the atmosphere around me. It was my own, familiar old room. I fought the urge to inhale and sigh at the familiarity. Another thing I noticed was the lack of myself anywhere. That's correct, the Brick 'me' was nowhere to be seen. I tried to remain calm as I searched the room; under the bed (which he'd managed to make, surprisingly), in the bureau and even in some dresser drawers. Nope. However, the one thing I _did_ happen to notice was an outfit entirely laid out on the bed for the day. Strange... That was exactly how I got ready for the day each morning... I woke up, made the bed, got my clothes ready for the day and—

I gasped. No. He couldn't. He _wouldn't_.

I peeked my head out the door of my room, still wary of my sisters catching me. Good. No one was in sight. I allowed my super hearing (Brick's super hearing, whatever) to work its full potential as I stared towards the bathroom.

He did.

The shower was running. I could hear the splashes of water hitting the linoleum of the shower floor. I could also hear something else... Was that... Humming? I prayed it wasn't true. I prayed that it was one of my sisters in the shower. I listened closer. Nope. That was my voice, alright. I figured there was nothing left to do but wait it out in my own room. I sighed and sank onto my bed tiredly. Why did I have to be the one caught up in this mess?

_**Brick**_

I'm not sure why I habitually woke up around eight thirty that morning. I couldn't help it. I don't know what drove me to lay out an outfit for the day, but I did it. And I _certainly_ have no idea why I felt the need to shower. But I did. I showered Blossom's body without a thought. As a matter of fact, I don't have the slightest clue what I was thinking about while I was in there. All I know is that when I stepped out of the shower and threw a towel over Blossom's nude body, I immediately snapped back to myself.

What the hell? Blossom was going to murder me. Showering? In her body? It was so... perverted. I stared at Blossom's reflection in the mirror with great confusion. Her wet red hair reached her back and hung limp and sad over her shoulders. I thought for some reason that I should blow-dry it. Why was I thinking that? I stared at her reflection some more. Everything was in place... I dared not remove the towel now that I was thinking clearly. I just studied her bare shoulders and their faint pink freckles, and her cheekbones, and her ears, and her... Eyes?

Wait a second. That wasn't right. What happened to my own eyes? My familiar, sexy, deep red eyes were long gone, replaced by Blossom's sparkling pink ones. What the _hell_?

I rushed out of the bathroom and into Blossom's bedroom, embarrassed by her appearance and my utter stupidity. She was gonna kill me. I was dead. She was gonna—

"Took you long enough."

Drat. It was her. I slowly turned around and winced at the sight of myself, standing behind the door I'd just closed with a stern look on my face. I just shrugged helplessly. What else could I say? I was caught pink-handed, you could say.

She stared me in the eyes for another moment before finally cracking at the sight of me.

"Your eyes are changed, too!" she exclaimed, dropping the stern look and rushing closer to me. I let out a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, you have my eyes now," I noticed. "What gives?"

"I don't know... _fuck_."

She slapped her hands over her mouth with realization of what she'd just said. I couldn't help but smile a little bit.

"Oh my..." she spluttered, trying not to do it again. "What the... I... I _never_ swear! I hate swearing! But it just came out... What's happening?"

She looked down at my hands and balled them into fists in front of her, starting to cry. My shoulders shook and the tears flowed from my eyes as I looked on, appalled. Man, I was almost _unattractive_ when I cried.

Still in a towel, I walked over to her and placed a comforting hand on my own shoulder. Who would have known Blossom would get so emotional over a stupid _swear_ _word_?

"Bloss... Chill out, okay? It's just a swear word. No big deal." I tried then to say the word, to prove to her that it wasn't as terrible as she'd thought. But there was a problem. I couldn't bring myself to say it. "Fff..." The word got caught in my throat, refused to cross my tongue. "Fffuu..." I physically _couldn't_ say it.

"Okay, this is _too_ freaky," I said quickly, letting go of my shoulder and backing away from Blossom. "I'm... I'm turning into _you_!"

She rolled my eyes. "You already _are_ me, dipshit." This time she didn't falter at the swear. But I did. I winced. It was awful. Like hearing nails on a chalkboard. It hurt to hear.

I ignored the feeling and replied, "No, no, I mean... I'm becoming you _mentally_, too! The swearing, the waking up early... even our eyes!"

She looked at me again, sincerity and worry rippling across my face.

A knock sounded at the door. Blossom jumped.

"Blossom?" It was the Professor. Shoot. "Is someone in there with you?"

I cleared my throat nervously. Blossom gave me a frantic look. "Er... ah, no, Professor, it's just me, talking to myself again!"

Blossom smacked herself in my face. I shrugged.

"Okay..." The Professor replied uneasily. I heard his feet shuffle away from the door and both Blossom and I let out sighs of relief again.

"Okay," she whispered, taking a deep breath. "Just... just get my clothes on and we'll sort this out. I have to help you study for my algebra test."

I scoffed. "_Help_ me study?" I repeated. It was a joke. "Ha-ha, very funny, Bloss, but I'm pretty sure I can handle a little _math_ test."

She just rolled my eyes and gestured to the outfit on the bed. "Put your clothes on already."

I stuck out my tongue at her immaturely and she did the same. What was wrong with us?

_**Anon**_

An hour or so later, Brick had dressed himself according to the slightly chilly weather in a hot pink turtleneck sweater and black leggings. The two sat cross-legged on the floor across from each other with Blossom's algebra book and a few tests spread out before them.

"Okay, let me quiz you," Blossom said authoritatively. "What's the value of _x_ if _y_=6 in this problem?" She held out the page to Brick and he studied it carefully.

Without even lifting the pencil, he replied, "Easy. Eight."

Blossom nodded approvingly and moved on to the next problem. "What about this one?"

"Three."

"Good." She flipped through the pages to find an exceptionally challenging one, just because. "Ah, here we go. What's the inverse of _x_ when _x_ is greater than or equal to _y_?"

He studied the problem on the page. The numbers swam before his eyes and he shook Blossom's head with a groan. "I can't do math anymore," he whined, falling onto his back on the floor. "My brain hurts!"

Blossom rolled Brick's eyes again. "Come on, seriously, you _have_ to pass my test tomorrow."

He groaned again and dramatically buried his face in the dust skirt of Blossom's bed. "I don't wannnnnaaaaa," he whined.

Blossom grabbed her own wrists and dragged Brick into a sitting position. She thrust the algebra textbook into his hand and gave him a meaningful look. He sighed, exasperated, and opened the book.

Blossom's door swung open suddenly and Blossom jumped again. Brick simply looked up at the culprit at the door. It was Bubbles.

"Hey Blossom I was wondering if-" she spotted Blossom. "Oh, Brick, I didn't know you were coming over," she said in surprise. An enormous grin spread across her face when Blossom merely shrugged. She gasped. "Are you helping Bloss _study_ for her test tomorrow?" She giggled and winked at Brick, who turned almost as pink as Blossom's sweater. Before either of them could say a word, Bubbles giggled again and added, "Have _fun_." And she slipped back through the door with another wink.

"We're just studying!" Brick shouted after her in Blossom's nagging voice. Blossom just chuckled quietly, covering Brick's mouth with his hand as she did so. Brick glared at the door. "Can't a girl get some privacy around here?"

At this, Blossom couldn't contain herself. She burst out into Brick's familiar loud, obnoxious laughter, rolling on the floor uncontrollably. Brick stared at her. She struggled to get the words out through fits of laughter.

"You- you- you called yourself a _girl_!" She finally choked out. Blossom's face flushed a deeper shade of pink as Brick realized what he'd said.

"Well... you know what I meant!" he spluttered. But Blossom continued to laugh harder. He punched her lightly in his own shoulder, saying, "Stop laughing, it wasn't that funny!" Blossom ignored him but finally the laughter died down after a moment or so.

She sighed and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "Oh, Butch would've got a kick out of that one..." she froze. _Butch_. "Oh my god, speaking of Butch... where is he?" She directed the question at Brick, as if he'd have an answer.

"I... I dunno, at home?" Brick replied with a shrug. "Why?"

Blossom shook Brick's head. "No. He wasn't there this morning. And Buttercup..." her face paled. "You have to go check on her, Brick!" she ordered, smacking her counterpart in the shoulder. He blinked. "_Now_!"

Without a second glance, Brick stood up and walked out of the room. He wasn't sure which of the other two rooms belonged to Buttercup, but he was sure he would figure it out. Besides, if he saw his brother in there with Buttercup... He couldn't finish the thought. He bet on the door to the left of Blossom's with the green skull painted on.

He bet right. He knocked once, not sure how he should go about this. But knocking was most likely the best idea, judging by the frantic shuffling and whispers that came from behind the door. When at long last Buttercup opened the door, she had a huge fake grin painted on her face and she was still in her pajamas.

"Oh, hey Blossom, what's up?" She asked quickly. Brick peered over her shoulder into her room.

"Nothing..." he began slowly. "Just seeing if you're up... How'd you sleep last night?"

Buttercup laughed nervously. "Sleep? Oh, uh, yeah! I slept fine! Great, actually! Some night, huh?"

Brick raised his eyebrows. "Yeah..." A creaking sound, like someone opening a window _very_ slowly was heard from inside the room. Buttercup laughed again and pulled the door closed a bit, blocking Brick's view into the room.

"Yup, well," Buttercup stammered quickly, "I should really be getting dressed now; it was nice talking to you, bye Bloss!"

And she slammed the door right in Brick's face.

He stood there for a second, trying to comprehend what just happened, and then he made his way back to Blossom's room.

"Well?" Blossom asked him as he returned into the room. He just shrugged with a sly smile.

"Buttercup's fine."

Blossom squinted at him, not sure if she should believe him, but she decided to let it go after all.

**-o-**

"It was _very_ _nice_ to have you over to help Blossom study for her test, Brick."

The Professor was waving goodbye to Blossom with Brick standing to his side.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay for lunch?" The Professor practically begged his own daughter unknowingly. "You've been working hard all day..."

Blossom shook her head. She was mighty pleased with herself. She'd managed to put on a good show for the Professor that allowed him to accept Brick and essentially approve of him. She wasn't exactly sure how that would help her in the long run, but she figured it couldn't hurt.

"Thank you, Mr. Utonium," Blossom replied sweetly. "But I've got to go make sure my brothers eat lunch, too!"

The Professor laughed. "Well, how responsible of you, Brick. Way to look after them. And please, call me Professor!" He slung an arm around Brick, who grinned uncomfortably back at Blossom. Blossom took off with a wave of Brick's hand, leaving the same trail of red behind her.

As the Professor shut the door, he turned to Brick with his eyebrows raised. "He's a nice boy," he said suggestively. Brick nodded sheepishly. The Professor nudged him on the arm. "I approve." He winked and Brick couldn't prevent himself from flushing pink again.


	9. Chapter 9

**Me: Hey so, I gained access to a computer for about twenty minutes at a library here, so I decided to quickly give you guys an update while I had the chance! Sorry if it's not very long, or good, or anything you wanted… blame it on the vacation. In case you're wondering, I'm having a marvelous time here! The weather is just perfect and I'm having a blast. Everything is perfect except for the lack of internets except on my phone. -.- And the sunburn. Lots and lots of sunburn.**

**I can't believe I had this ENTIRE CHAPTER WRITTEN and my phone didn't save it. Stupid. I had to rewrite the whole thing over again. Kill me -.-**

**I hated the last chapter just about as much as you did... It didn't even turn out at all how I wanted it. Boo. ):**

**I don't own the PPG or the RRB. And I still don't know where they went! -.-**

**They're roughly 16 years old and they all have normal features, fingers, noses, et cetera.**

**I love you all! :) R&R!**

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

**Chapter 9**

_**Anon**_

Blossom spent the rest of the day cooped up in the RowdyRuffs' shack, tidying up. She figured that the more she acted like herself, the less likely she was to turn into Brick. Though the green and blue boys were quite shocked, they left her to her work. She had the entire house to herself. Butch took off for the gym for the day. Boomer had claimed to be taking Bubbles out on a coffee date, but ended up staying out for the remainder of the afternoon and most of the evening.

Neither Blossom nor Brick slept that night. They were both kept up by one thing or another. How were they going to switch back into themselves? Would they _ever_ return to their own bodies? The questions floated around in their heads like congested balloons, bouncing off the sides of their brains and leaving them exhausted and without a wink.

The following morning couldn't come fast enough for the insomniatic reds. Blossom and the boys would wake up to the sound of the alarm on Butch's cell phone. He would smash it against the wall to shut it up. There goes another cell phone. Butch would then just scowl as the three groggily get out of the sleeping bags and get ready for the school day, wandering aimlessly around the house in a daze.

Meanwhile on the other side of Townsville, Brick would wake up about a half hour before the other two PowerPuffs. He would lay out an outfit for that day, brush Blossom's teeth carefully, comb her long red hair until it shone, and then stare at her reflection in the mirror until her image blurs in his vision. Her eyes will become foggy and he'll wipe two tears away from Blossom's cheeks. _What the hell was happening?_ he would find himself wondering. He would eventually just shake her head quickly and join Blossom's sisters in preparing for the school day.

And later that morning, the two would secretly meet right behind Pokey Oaks High School; to be sure that no one saw them. Blossom had thrown on Brick's lucky red cap backwards as usual, and his plain red backpack was slung over her shoulder. Brick had takes great care in tying Blossom's bow just how she usually had it, but he couldn't get it exactly right. It looked fine, though, and he had even allowed Bubbles to straighten Blossom's hair a bit at her eager persistence. He had picked up Blossom's pink flowered backpack and heaved it over his shoulder with a grunt. It was pretty heavy, considering the fact that it held six million books. Aside from that, Blossom herself had clipped on about a hundred key chains onto the backpack, and they jingled musically as he flew towards the school.

It wasn't until Brick had landed safely on the ground next to an exhausted Blossom that he realized something.

He had touched her yesterday.

Nothing big, he had just... held her hand.

Well, it had been his own hand he'd held.

But still...

He looked down at Blossom's hands. They were normal. Clean. Safe. It was strange that Brick had let Blossom touch him. He hated being touched. He was jumpy. Fragile. Anyone else and they would have earned a straight kick in the stomach. Just as he'd almost hurt Buttercup the other night when she'd grabbed his arm.

"Uh, you okay?" Blossom asked him. The sound of his own voice whipped him out of the right state, pulling him back to reality. He snapped his eyes to hers. Even that wasn't enough consolation for him. His own eyes stared back at him threateningly. Now it really was like staring into a mirror. Blossom threw a questioning look at him.

"I guess," he muttered, shaking her head. Blossom's long hair fell into his face and he brushed it to the side. "I'm just... a little nervous for the test."

Blossom definitely didn't believe that lame excuse, but she said nothing against it. She adjusted his red cap on her head and blew a stray strand of Brick's hair out of her face.

"You're gonna do fine," she said to him, patting him on her own shoulder.

This action earned merely a wince from Brick. He shied away from her touch and she let her hand hover in the air for a moment before dropping it to the floor.

"Are you sure you're fine?" she asked him once more, taking a step back when he started breathing heavily.

Damn, he was doing it again. He shook his head again, trying to shake the feeling. Just when things were starting to go well...

The school bell was heard, faint and metallic, by the two in the back of the school.

"Uh... I gotta go. Don't wanna be late for the test." Brick did sort of a salute-type gesture and took off towards the front of the school, leaving Blossom confused, dazed, and late for class.

Blossom

Something was up with Brick. He was acting like he just saw someone get killed. And that got me worried. What if he really did see someone die? What did he do? I shuddered at the thought and pulled Brick's schedule out of his pocket. It was a crumpled up, old piece of notebook paper, because by now Brick had pretty much memorized it. Luckily, he'd written it down in a notebook sometime at the beginning of the year and I had torn it out the night before.

I studied it, remembering that he had Literature first period. I made my way to his Lit class and froze.

Where did he sit? I was already late, and it was bad enough, but now I had no idea what seat he was to take. Luckily again, I was quite sure that his Lit teacher, Mrs. Keates, was a leisurely teaching type of person, so she more than likely allowed the class to chose their own seats.

I edged around the side of the classroom and slid into a desk in the very back corner. I hated sitting in the back, but what else was I supposed to do? I felt all eyes on me and I stared back at them threateningly. They looked away. Mrs. Keates pretended not to notice my slight lateness and began to teach class.

Lit class was one of the most tedious classes I've ever taken. I had been in Mrs. Keates' class last year. Now I was taking the honours 11th year class. I sighed and reached into Brick's backpack, searching for something I would not find. I immediately felt Brick's face flush into a deep, irreversible pink. _My_ _sketchbook_. He had my _sketchbook_ in my backpack! What if he looked through it? I was doomed.

I was never one for art, at first. Bubbles had always been the artsy one. But when I took Intro to Art in my freshman year, I discovered my love for sketching. And since most of my classes were a breeze for me, I always brought my sketchbook along and doodled aimlessly. I sketched everything. Sometimes animals, sometimes dormant objects, buildings, and plants, but mostly I sketched people. Faces. I liked to make abstract art with different features that I recalled. But there was one thing above all I preferred to draw.

Before I'd gone out to fight the RowdyRuffs the other night with my sisters, I had been sketching. I would never allow my sisters or anyone look at my sketches, because they were so personal, so special to me. They described my feelings. They put labels and specific images on my dreams. This one section of the book in particular... The section was full of sketches of one mysterious, dark, and familiar face. Especially the eyes. I sketched Brick's eyes, his face, and his features so often that I only carried around a black and red pencil with me. It's all I needed. I brought to mind one of my most recent sketches. I had awoken to a small noise one night last summer, shifting slightly in my bed, and I'd seen those eyes. Those hot red, indifferent eyes, staring brightly back at me despite the darkness.

He had been in my room. I woke up the next morning, thinking it to be a dream, but I'd sketched it nonetheless. The sketch revealed a black room. Not black in colour, but black in darkness. And there, in the middle of the page, I recalled the largely drawn, staring eyes that sent shivers down my spine. It was my favourite sketch. His eyes, his shadowy form frozen stark still in my room. _Brick_.

"Brick?" Mrs. Keates' voice jerked my eyes open. "What is the definition of juxtaposition?"

I blinked. She had been trying to catch me off-guard. Knowing Brick, there was no doubt that she would've succeeded. But I was ready for her. "Er, it's when you put two contrasting things beside each other for effect."

She was surprised. "That's right," she said, hiding her shock and smiling back at me. I shrugged.

_Maybe I'd better keep my mind off of those eyes for at least this period_, I thought to myself. _Then maybe I'll be able to focus and blend in a little better_. So I opened my eyes attentively and listened carefully for the rest of the class.

Brick

One positive thing about Blossom having Algebra 2 first hour was that I could get it over with soon, without having to fret about it all day. Now, don't get me wrong, I may be stupid, but I'm not a complete idiot. Algebra 2 was the normal math course for juniors. Geometry was the informal course. I was only in Geometry this year because I chose to be. I could have taken Algebra 2 had I wanted to, but I didn't want that much work to deal with.

So needless to say, I aced Blossom's test.

Either Blossom is just completely oblivious, or she doesn't care, but I quickly discovered that her seat in Algebra 2 was completely surrounded by the dumbest kids in class. They spent the entire hour "inconceivably" peering around their arms, hair, papers, and shoulders to sneak a few answers from me. I felt as though I was doing these kids a favour at first, but I thought better of it. I started off with the correct answers, then I skipped an entire section, answering 'C' seven times in a row. These kids needed to learn how _not_ to cheat. When I'd finished bullshitting her answers, I went back and changed them all to the correct ones. I could tell I put the kids around me in a panic, for they were whipping their heads around frantically. I smirked. I finished the test with twenty minutes of class left. I felt at least four pairs of eyes on my boring into my back as I stood up to turn in Blossom's test. I cutely smiled at the teacher as I did so, and he smiled back. Blossom was such a teacher's pet.

I allowed myself the treat of resting Blossom's head on her desk for the remainder of the period.

The next period, Blossom had Chemistry. It wasn't that interesting, to be quite honest. I think I actually had the same teacher as she did, Mr. Colon, and he was a boring man, often droning on and on about things unimportant. I found myself sitting at Blossom's lab table with my head in my hands, bored. Her partner, whoever it was, was absent that day. I sighed and decided to rummage through her backpack. I know it was a bit personal, but if I was her, then there was nothing wrong with it, right?

I unearthed loads of colour-coded notebooks, pens, pencils and neatly folded note cards from the bottom of her backpack. I flipped through each notebook, determining that she had one for each subject, and one that stood out from all the others. It was not loose-leaf, like the other notebooks, but of thick, blank apricot paper. I opened it curiously, studying Blossom's obviously hidden talent. Her sketches were hypnotizing. I found myself staring at a certain number of drawings for a few minutes, trying to decide exactly what it was. Most of them were abstract art, sketches of flowers and tessellations and some animals. Finally I flipped to the very back, where the pictures became more dark and serious. These were quite unlike the ones at the beginning. They featured one wide, threatening pair of red eyes that reminded me vaguely of someone I knew...

The first sketch was simple. It portrayed a well-lit street featuring three ominous dark figures, like shadow people. The figures all stood in similar positions. One had emerald green eyes, the one on the left had vibrant blue, and the middle one the widest crimson.

The second drawing was of a pitch black room, with another shadow figure lurking in the corner, with those piercing red eyes.

The third and final sketch that caught my interest was of two contrasting symbols. One was represented by a tongue of black fire, the red eyes peeking out from the depths of the flame. The second symbol was a dove, its eyes a lighter shade of red, clearly meant to have been pink. The dove was surrounded by the black fire, with a look of content and utter peace on its beak.

This third sketch confused me the most. Before I could study it further, however, the bell rang and students hurled themselves towards the door. I threw Blossom's sketchbook into her backpack and made my way to her next class.

Anon

By lunchtime, both of the reds were becoming used to the school setting as each other. Blossom had realized that it wasn't quite the best idea to smile kindly at Bubbles using Brick's face; that is of course unless she really wanted to scare the poor girl. Which she did. And Brick was surprisingly comfortable around Blossom's few girl friends, discussing things such as boys and school with great ease.

"Did you see Daniel's hair?" Blossom's friend Allison had asked Brick when he sat down in a seat in Blossom's Economics class. Brick snapped his head up to look at her.

"Daniel Rose?" he questioned, naming the only Daniel he knew of in their grade. Allison nodded, directing his vision towards a boy in the corner of the room. He looked quite normal, his hair dark black and completely unscathed. But Brick barely recognized him. He gasped.

"He dyed his hair black!" Brick exclaimed, cupping a hand over Blossom's mouth in surprise. This was so strange. He was getting worked up over the stupidest things. Brick Jojo wouldn't care about a stupid skater boy dying his hair.

"I know," Allison giggled. "Isn't it hot?"

Brick shrugged. He didn't understand how simple hair dye could make someone hot.

"Do you still like him?"

"Like him?" Brick questioned, confused. Blossom wasn't supposed to like anyone. She was Blossom.

Allison flipped her long brown hair over her shoulder with a smirk. "Duh, Bloss, you've had the biggest crush on him for like, ever."

Brick felt Blossom's face pale. For some reason he'd never thought of Blossom, his counterpart, as liking anyone. _Especially_ not a skater boy like Daniel. He scoffed.

"Like _him_?" Brick snorted disbelievingly, "Not anymore. I'm talking to someone."

He didn't know why he said it, but he did. It just sort of came out. He immediately regretted saying it, though, because the look on Allison's face was one of pure surprise.

"Blossom!" she exclaimed, clutching Blossom's arm tightly with manicured hands. "You didn't tell me? Who is he? Is he cute? Do I know him?"

Brick smirked at the girl's overreaction. "I just did tell you," he said casually, barely above a whisper. "And you might... It's... Brick... Jojo."

She gasped. "But you _hate_ him! The RowdyRuff Boys are like, your arch enemies!"

Brick just shrugged, not knowing what to say. "I guess you can say we just... we discovered that we have a lot in common."

Allison was shocked in to silence. She couldn't even breathe. She said nothing for the entire period as the two worked on partner work. Brick had no idea what was going through her mind, but as the bell rang for lunch and the class was dismissed, he had a feeling Blossom's relationship status was not going to stay secret for long.


	10. Chapter 10

**Me: Hello everyone! It's great to be back! Oh and also, good news. I found my friends :3**

**Bubbles: we're back!**

**Brick: we were trying to get out of this for good...**

**Me: but now you're stuck here! :D oh yay.**

**Buttercup&Butch: *rolling their eyes* whatever!**

**Blossom: I'm happy to be back!**

**Bubbles&Boomer: Me too!**

***they giggle cuz they talked at the same time***

**Me: oh, thanks! You guys always make me feel loved. :3**

**Butch: yeah, now that this story's actually getting good...**

**Me: I'm not sure if that was a compliment or...?**

**Boomer: I'm gonna say the disclaimer! Marisa doesn't own us, okay?**

**Bubbles: *giggling* and we're all about 16 and have normal features, fingers, noses, etc.**

**Me: This story has gotten almost 4k hits :3 that's a lot for me, so please enjoy this delicious pie that I baked for you all out of love.**

***Boomer&Bubbles dig in to your pie***

**Me: er, actually, I'll find another way to give you guys my thanks...**

**Me: in other news, for those people wondering what the heck happened to blues and greens, no worries fangirls! I've included quite a few suggestive parts in the next few chapters. But the huge really fluffy chapter is chapter 12. So prepare yourselves. Only five more chapters, people! Are you sad? :\**

**Buttercup: no.**

**Butch: no.**

**Me: -_- well, if you want to know about my contest that I'm gonna start having; see the end of this chapter for more details!**

**Blossom: enjoy the tenth chapter, everybody! :)**

**Me: ciao!**

**xoxo -ml**

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

**Chapter 10**

_**Blossom**_

After school, Brick approached me with a 'genius idea'.

"Bloss!" he called, weaving in between the people after the last bell of the day. I had luckily carried his entire backpack all day and had no need to stop at his locker or even attempt to open it, for that matter. I don't think he used mine, either.

But regardless, he shouldn't have been shouting _my_ name out. People were giving him strange looks before he realized what he'd said. He smacked himself on my forehead and rolled my eyes.

"I mean _Brick_," he tried feebly. It was too late. He was already at my side. I glared at him, while everyone else stared curiously at us. It was not often that the two reds spoke to each other.

"What do you want, _Blossom_?" I sneered, shifting the weight of his backpack on my shoulder and making my way to the door. I tried to make it appear as though I loathed talking to him, but he was clearly not catching on.

"What's got you in a mood?" he asked cluelessly. He didn't even give me a chance to answer before he started talking again. "I've got this idea for us."

I rolled my eyes. He was so idiotic sometimes. We stepped outside into the crisp October air and I began walking in the direction of the RowdyRuff house. He followed.

"How was my test?" I asked quietly, completely ignoring his alleged 'idea'. I had no clue what it was, but something about seeing him after school that day acting like _that_ made me feel crabby and snappy.

"I—oh, the test?" he gave me a funny look. We fell into step beside each other on the sidewalk for a moment and a few others walking home eyed us suspiciously. I quickly changed my pace. "The test was easy. I aced it, for sure. But that's not what I want to talk about." he shook his head and wheeled around in front of me, moving to put my hands on his shoulders, but hesitating and deciding on simply blocking my path. I was forced to stop walking and look at him.

"I have a plan." those words, coming out of Brick's (well, my) mouth sounded ridiculous. I couldn't help but smirk at him. He blinked at my attempted famous smirk. "Jeez, you're getting good at that."

I shrugged. "So what's your idea?"

He piped up, suddenly excited again. "Oh! Right, okay, so here's what we're gonna do. You guys" —he pointed to me— "are gonna ask us" —he pointed at himself— "out on a group date sort of thing." he waved his arms in a circle as if suggesting a group. "Again." he beamed as if this were the greatest idea in the history of the earth.

I stared at him with a blank expression. What the heck was he getting at? I squinted. "What are you talking about?"

"The plan!" he said, exasperated. "The boys will ask the girls on another date! It goes along with your plan! I mean, Boomer's plan. That way we can all hang out again, sort of, only it can be like a group dinner. We'll go someplace fancy—Butch can take his car—he found it in a dump, but it's still a pretty nice car, you know. And you guys can dress up, and we'll dress up, and— and..."

He paused, my arms held out in front of him as if he were searching for more to add to this idea. Nothing came. He still looked at me with the look of incredulity on my face. I just stared back.

"That's ridiculous."

He rolled my eyes. "Please, Bloss?" he pleaded. "It'll be great! What could go wrong?"

I unfolded Brick's arms from across his chest and sighed. The idea sounded stupid and mediocre. And I was confused as to why he had suggested it in the first place. "I don't know..." I glanced uneasily over my own shoulder in front of me and saw a group of people walking down the sidewalk in our direction. I recognized two of the girls from school. How had they gotten in front of us? And why were they looking at me like that...?

I suddenly realized that Brick was practically on his knees begging me to agree with his idea, and it no doubt looked completely crazy.

"Come on, please, Blossom?" he folded his hands together as if he were praying and shook them in front of me. I rolled Brick's eyes. Now he really _was_ begging.

I wanted those girls to stop staring though. So I sighed.

"Fine," I agreed, "Just get up off the ground."

Apparently he didn't realize that he had been on his knees either. He snapped up and brushed himself off, looking sheepishly towards me with that stupid grin.

I scoffed. "You better get home," I mumbled. "_Your_ _family_ expects you to do homework above all other activities."

Now, it was his turn to moan. "But..."

"No buts. Go home." I glowered at him until he finally stuck my tongue out at me and took to the sky, my keychains jingling as he flew.

-o-

"Dude!"

Butch greeted me back home with a hearty slap on the back. I was not hesitant to drop Brick's backpack on the floor near the door and flop myself into his beanbag. Boomer was one step ahead of me and already had the TV on.

"What's up, Butch?" I asked half-heartedly, feeling much more confident than I had ever been in the RowdyRuff shack.

Butch took his usual spot next to me. "You're not supposed to make your relationship fucking public _yet_," he laughed. I wrinkled Brick's eyebrows on his forehead.

"What?" I asked, confused.

Butch just laughed. "Dude, everybody fucking knows about it now, you don't have to hide it from us."

I just stared at him cluelessly. I had no idea what he was talking about, but I knew it couldn't be good. He laughed again at the expression I gave.

"I heard the rumours, dumbass," Butch said, as if explaining everything. "You and Blossom... You're labeled officially as 'talking' now." he grinned slyly. "You motherfucking son of a bitch."

I felt Brick's face drain of all colour. Had Brick said something about us talking? I didn't know that word could get out this fast. What if someone saw us up on the Ferris wheel this weekend? Maybe that was how the rumour started... I figured I would have a talk with Brick about it later. But for now, I had to suggest his stupid idea. Because I'd promised.

"Yeah, well..." I shrugged indifferently in response to Butch's accusation. "I guess people just can't keep my name out of their mouths, can they?" after a hearty chortle from both Boomer and Butch, I tried out Brick's smirk again. They must have bought it, because they both stopped laughing and looked at me curiously.

"You got a plan?" Boomer asked shyly. I nodded and turned the smirk into a full-on grin.

"Sure I do," I said easily. The two leaned in to hear it. "Alright. So you two are gonna ask your girls on a date. A real one. For like, dinner and stuff. But we're all gonna go together, like in a group."

I gave it a moment for this idea to sink into their heads. Boomer had a huge grin on his face and was nodding eagerly, while the raven-haired boy was staring at me with a mixture of disgust and sick pleasure.

"So's that a yes?" I asked after a moment of silence. Boomer nodded still faster, ever eager, but waited for Butch's take on the subject.

Butch glanced at Boomer, who immediately stopped nodding and became serious. Butch shrugged his shoulders and sunk lower into the beanbag.

"Alright, fine," he said simply. I smirked again. I liked the feel of the expression on Brick's face. So that's why he did it so much.

"Awesome," I said, clapping my hands together twice. "You guys ask them however you want. I've already got a few ideas..." actually, I had more than a few ideas. I was a nerdy girl who had never gotten asked out in her life. Now there was a perfect opportunity for me to essentially ask _myself_ out in any way I wanted? Too good.

Boomer beamed. "Me too!" he squealed—yes, squealed— before either me or Butch could utter a syllable. What an eager kid. Bubbles was lucky. At least... That is, of course, if he did not uphold his end of the bargain between the RowdyRuffs. All he had to do was snap when it came time to ambush the girls. I knew that out of the three boys, Boomer was an easy egg to crack. You had to be careful with him.

"I guess I could think of _some_thing," Butch mumbled. However I could practically see the ill-used gears of his brain turning inside his head. "She likes surprises, if you know what I mean." he winked.

I found myself glaring at him again. I couldn't help it! He was referring to my sister as if she were just some toy he could use and throw away just as easily. And she wasn't, of course. She was my sister. I still could not believe that I was basically giving him free will to do whatever he wanted with Buttercup. And that was not okay.

"What?" he smirked, nodding his head up at me.

I kept my cool. I kept it Brick. "So, how're your guys' relationships with the girls, anyways? Get any action?" I winked. I had been totally kidding, and Boomer seemed to understand this and laughed along with me, but Butch just threw his arms behind his head and sighed, a knowing smile on his face and a reminiscent twinkle in his eyes.

I squinted at this. Could this have been what had kept him the other night after the carnival? I wonder.

"Butch?" I raised an eyebrow, still keeping my cool. I didn't know for sure yet. I had to wait.

He just grinned, as if that answered my questioning look.

"Butch!" I exclaimed accusingly.

He smirked now. "What, you thought I was just gonna let that one go?"

I couldn't believe my ears. Was I really hearing this? "So..." I muttered. "What'd you do then?"

Butch shrugged. "We went back to her place for the night." her place? Meaning my house? With Bubbles and Brick in the other room? Which means that when I came over to study with Brick... and he went to check on Buttercup... and he returned with a smirk and a "Buttercup's fine" ...Wait a second.

"Her place, huh?" I repeated, my composure becoming harder and harder to keep up. "Did you guys... You know..." I couldn't bring myself to say the word. I still couldn't picture it.

Butch just nodded with that same stupid grin on his face. "Oh, we did _everything_."

I felt Brick's face pale. Everything? As in everything? I couldn't imagine. I couldn't breathe. I was furious. Butch was such a little player. He messed around with my sister one night and possibly even took her virginity after only a sort-of date? That bastard. That _bastard_.

"Dude, Brick, you okay man?" Butch said to me, waving a hand in front of Brick's face. But all I saw was red. Pure blood red.

In one swift move, I clasped Brick's hand around Butch's wrist and held it still. Butch looked at me questioningly.

"You did... _everything_...?" I grunted through gritted teeth. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Boomer shrink into his beanbag chair. I ignored him. I just prayed with the back of my mind that he'd have the sense to stay out of the way while I ferociously beat the living shit out of Butch.

"Hey, come on," Butch laughed uneasily as I stood up in front of him, still gripping his wrist. I pushed him backwards and got extremely close to his face.

The look of fear mixed with incredulity on his face was more than apparent as I whispered, "You _bastard_."

And I fully pushed back his wrist. It made a satisfying _**snap**_ and he let out a yelp of pain. Boomer whimpered behind me. I had no idea what came over me then. I grinned at his pain. I wanted Butch to suffer. Hard.

"Brick!" he exclaimed, gripping his wrist with his other hand. "Goddammit, Brick, what the fuck did you do that for? I was kidding, jeez what the fuck kind of idiot do you take me for?"

He was... He had been kidding? The red faded before my eyes and I looked him full in the face. He was legitimately scared now. I backed up a little. How could he have done that? Pretended to have abused my sister like that... Scared me half to death...

"Then what the _hell_ were you doing at her house when I went over there to study?" I choked out, not even sure if I should believe anything he said.

Butch shrugged. "I didn't take her, but that doesn't mean I didn't mess around with her." that stupid look came on his face once again and I couldn't help myself. I clenched Brick's heavy fist and earned Butch a hard punch to the face.

"That's for being an asshole," I muttered as he stumbled backward, still gripping his wrist and falling into a crumpled green-and-black heap on the floor. Then, before he could even stir, I turned around to face the blonde boy, cowering in his seat. He flinched when I looked at him. "You coming, Boom?" the frightened boy had no choice but to nod and follow me as I took off out the door.

He had sense enough not to ask me where we were going. I don't even think I knew. I had far too much on my mind to be concerned with that. But nonetheless, I found myself heading towards my own home out of habit. Boomer and I landed wordlessly on the front porch, and I turned to look at him. He flinched when my eyes met his. Crap. I didn't want to scare him. I realized that I was turning into Brick more and more as the time went on. I swear, if I didn't find a cure for this switch-thing...

"Okay, Boomer," I said to him quietly. He cowered before me. I sighed. "You don't have to be afraid, Boom, I'm not gonna hit you." he relaxed a tiny bit but I could tell he was still frightened. "Alright, so you've got an idea of how you're gonna ask out Bubbles?"

At this, Boomer grinned widely and nodded fiercely. I chuckled low.

"Good, I'll leave it a surprise. But I want you to do it now, okay?" he nodded some more and in a flash of deep blue light, he was gone. I figured that now was as good a time as ever to ask Brick (aka, ME) on a _date_. Good thing I've been dreaming up ways that I want a guy to ask me out for years now.

I floated casually up to my own bedroom window and rapped on it gently. I laughed inwardly knowing that I sure was creeping through this window a lot. Within seconds, Brick appeared in the window and a huge smile grew on my face when he saw me.

"I thought you'd never get here!" he cried, ushering me inside the room. I landed on my own soft white carpet and sighed contentedly. I wished I could just go and lie down in my own bed, and study for my own tests... But now was not the time for wishing.

"Come with me to the beach," I said quietly. It wasn't exactly how I had wanted it to be, but I said it anyways. He looked at me strangely.

"The beach?" he repeated, a questioning tone in my very own voice.

I nodded. "Yeah, I gotta ask you something." I felt Brick's face forming into that familiar smirk and he rolled his eyes.

"Can't you just ask me right now?" he whined.

"No," I sneered. "I'm not lazy like you."

"But...everyone thinks you're me!" he interceded. "So can't you just ask me here, like the real me would?"

I pretended to think about this suggestion for a moment. "Hmm... no." I grinned. "Beach."

He rolled my eyes. "Fine," he agreed. He didn't say 'let me get ready', like I would have. He just snatched my red jacket from off the back of my desk chair and threw it over my shoulders. He didn't change my clothes since school, but he looked different somehow. I shrugged it off and led us to the beach just off of Lake Townsville.

It was twilight, still a bit of sun visible and lighting the white sand and dark blue waters of the beach. We were the only ones there.

Brick put my hands on my hips. "Well? We're here, what do you want to ask me, _Brick_?"

_**Brick**_

Blossom smirked again. The more she did it, the better she got at doing it just like me. It was scary. "You wanna take a walk on the beach with me?" she asked. She held out my hand towards me expectantly. I stared at it for a long time. I wasn't sure if I could do this. I mean, the other night at the carnival was one thing. But could I hold my own hand when I was consciously aware that I was doing it?

I think I could.

I cautiously reached for my own hand with Blossom's. She held her own hand in mine as if they were puzzle pieces meant to fit together. We began walking down the shore.

We walked and we talked, mostly about my brothers and her sisters. My brother Butch had pulled another one of those 'I took the girl's virginity' tricks, and I laughed when she told me she thought she broke his wrist. He probably deserved it, the bastard. What a joke.

I told her that Bubbles had asked me to go to the mall with her after school tomorrow. I didn't know what to say. I've never gone to the mall for _shopping_. She laughed and told me I should go. It would be good for me, she said. Plus I'd need a new outfit for our _date_. I felt Blossom's face flush when she'd said that. She laughed again at my expression. But it was all in good fun.

The entire time we walked along the beach, we held hands. And I didn't flinch once. I felt comfortable so close to her. It was probably because she _was_ me. Yes, that's what it was.

Eventually, the sun went down past the horizon, swallowed up by the lake in the distance. Blossom simply turned to me and asked, "So we're on for tomorrow night?" and winked. I laughed. That felt exactly like something I would ask. I agreed, but it had to be sometime _after_ Bubbles and I went shopping.

God, I was turning into a _girl_.

The whole time, she was—it sounds strange but—such a _gentleman_. It kinda taught me how I was supposed to act. She even walked me back to her house. I think that was her plan all along, so that I would learn how to be a gentleman.

We both said our humble goodbyes and I went inside with a huge grin on my face. That little walk on the beach put me in the best mood I'd been in for a _long_ time. And I had no idea why.

**Marisa Lee's Word-a-Month One-Shot Contest**

_It's even got a cool name :3_

_So basically, I'm going to start doing this writing contest. On the 15th day of every month, I'll give you a specific word that your fics are to be centered on, like a theme. For example, this month's word is 'Dream'. And your one-shot that you write has to be based on that one word. It can be any pairing and any length unless I specify. You will have all month to submit your entries, but that's not a lot of time, so you better get writing! And each month there will be a winner with a predetermined prize from me!_

_There are full details on my profile. I wish you all the best of luck for this month! :)_


	11. Chapter 11

**Me: Chapter 11! Only 4 chapters left, everyone!**

**Brick: what about the contest?**

**Me: oh, that's right! How is everyone doing on your one-shots? Hopefully you're getting those entries in!**

**Boomer: I always lose at contests...**

**Bubbles: it's okay, you aren't even allowed to enter this one, so you won't have to worry about it!**

**Everyone: ...**

**Buttercup: blah blah, we're 16 with normal features, and Marisa doesn't own us.**

**Me: nice save, BC.**

***she shrugs***

**Enjoy! :3**

**xoxo -ml**

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**Chapter 11**

_**Brick**_

As soon as I entered the Utonium house after Blossom and I walked on the beach, I was bombarded with giggles and squeals.

"Blossom! Blossom!" Bubbles was chanting shrilly as I walked across the threshold. "Look! Look what I got!"

She held something out to me that I couldn't quite see because the blonde girl was jumping up and down frantically. I backed away slowly, my claustrophobia kicking in again, and she held the item up, still now, for me to see.

It was a shiny silver ball chain necklace with a single star pendant on the end. The silver star was hollowed out in the middle, with the edges decorated in baby blue rhinestones. ((link: -remove spaces- www . cooljewels images/ detailed/ 8609-NK-Colorful- Rhinestone-Star -Necklaces . jpg)) I had to admit, Boomer had sure outdone himself with this one.

"That's really nice, Bubbles," I said truthfully. She grinned widely and giggled.

"Boomer asked me on a dinner date!" she exclaimed happily. "But it's a secret, and I can't tell you it!" she giggled again and dangled the necklace in my face once again. "I guess you'll just have to wait and find out if your _boyfriend_ is going to ask you!"

I rolled Blossom's eyes. "Bubbles, Brick is not my boyfriend."

Her eyes grew wide with my quick response. "How do you know I meant Brick? Guilty conscience much?" she giggled again. How did Blossom put up with all this giggling? Seriously! It was driving me crazy.

I sighed. "He just asked me, too," I said finally. "It's a group date."

Her face fell slightly and she lowered her arms. "You already knew about it? Darn it!"

I just shrugged. "We just have to wait for Buttercup to get asked, I guess."

She squealed. "Yayy! Then we can all go dress shopping tomorrow!" she twirled around and in a wave of baby blue, she was gone, calling, "Buttercup!"

I know I should have been concerned with Bubbles spilling the idea to Buttercup (which I'm sure she would), but I wasn't really in the mood for caring.

-o-

The next day at school was grueling. I spend the entire seven hours dodging questions about myself.

"Are you and Brick talking?" "Are you gonna date him?" "I thought you hated each other!" "They say opposites attract!"

I just shrugged them all off, not knowing exactly how Blossom would react to this sort of treatment. As far as I knew, Blossom wasn't the type of girl to get any attention at all, so I wasn't even sure that she'd ever gotten this much attention before.

Blossom's friend Allison bombarded me with twice as many questions, too, and these were much more pressing.

"So," she sang in my ear when I sat down next to her in Blossom's Econ class. I raised an eyebrow at her. She giggled. "How's it going with your _bad_ _boy_?"

I almost gagged. Bad boy? Really? People are so empty headed these days. I shrugged Blossom's shoulders.

"I guess I've got a date with him later tonight," I found myself responding smoothly. This earned a squeal from the brunette and she leaned in closer to me as the teacher began to lecture.

"Where are you going?" she asked. She didn't give me enough time to answer before asking another question. "Have you kissed him yet?" I began to answer this, too, but she just kept chugging on. "What about his brothers? Are the six of you all hooking up? Oh my god" —she clapped a hand over her mouth. "That is just the most _perfect_ thing! All six of you together! Oh my god how _cute_!" she giggled, causing a few people to stare, but I just sunk into Blossom's seat and shrugged indifferently.

The rest of the afternoon went on similarly. I was grateful for the final bell at three PM when I darted out the school doors and headed for Blossom's home, eager to finish her homework (strange for me) and get it over with so Bubbles and Buttercup could drag me to the mall and I wouldn't have a guilty conscience.

Too bad they were both waiting for me when I got there.

"How did you guys get home before me?" I spluttered, out of breath after flying all the way there. They both shared a knowing look and Bubbles grinned widely.

"We're faster than you, of course," she responded with another giggle. She was wearing the necklace Boomer had given her, along with a plain white long-sleeved v-neck shirt and baby blue form-fitting jeans with matching blue flats. Her blonde hair was pulled into a high ponytail and bowed with a blue ribbon.

Buttercup sighed heavily. "Can we get going already? I want to get back in time for the wrestling match." this time, it was Bubbles' and my turn to share a glance. Buttercup didn't know about the date yet. However, it was getting a bit late for my brother Butch to be asking her... He'd better do it soon. Though knowing him, he'd probably ask her as we were walking in the restaurant...

She crossed her arms and huffed. Bubbles giggled again. Buttercup was dressed in a neon green cardigan sweater with deep green buttons, a white t-shirt underneath and black skinny jeans with matching green converse. Her black hair was untouched and ruffled, as usual.

"Alright, let's hit the mall!" Bubbles squealed, snatching a set of keys from a hook behind the door. We all three piled into a white Chevrolet, with the girls in front and me in the back. Bubbles drove, so of course that meant my ears were burning to the sound of Five Direction, or whatever that stupid band was. Luckily the Townsville Mall was merely three minutes away and we barely had enough time for one song before we pulled into the parking lot.

I stood up and stretched Blossom's long, silky legs. It was weird for me to be thinking about that, but I was definitely proud of the outfit I'd picked out for her that day. I sported a loose, flowing white shawl with a hot pink tank top underneath, visible on one shoulder. I also had on one of Blossom's only pairs of pants, black, but with hot pink sequins down one leg. She had a pair of pink moccasins, too, and I'd thrown those on without a second glance. This girl had enough shoes to clothe all of Africa.

I walked into the mall behind Bubbles and Buttercup, feeling extremely awkward and out of place. Bubbles had given me a small pink purse that she'd found in the trunk of the car when I insisted on carrying my money (or actually, Blossom's money, she had told me where it was and to use it wisely) folded up in my back pocket like Buttercup. But Bubbles wouldn't have it. I felt stupid carrying that little thing with only money inside it. What was the point of carrying a purse, anyways? It was less likely to be stolen in my pocket. I scowled along with Buttercup as Bubbles led us to the first store.

"Okay," Bubbles said authoritatively as we walked into a clothing store called Forever 21. "I'm putting myself in charge here, seeing as you two don't know the first thing about fashion." she eyed our outfits with a judging face and I couldn't help but be taken back a bit. I worked hard picking out this outfit. But I said nothing. Damn Blossom's girly instincts.

"Let's work on you first, Buttercup." Bubbles dragged the raven-haired girl over to a clothing rack and began tossing random dresses, skirts and other hideous looking items into her sister's arms.

"Why are we even getting dresses?" Buttercup whined. Bubbles just giggled and I remained silent. She scoffed when nobody answered her a second time. I shot Buttercup a sympathetic look as Bubbles now pulled her into a fitting room. I waited awkwardly outside until the two finally emerged; Bubbles with an irritated look on her face and Buttercup looking smug.

"She's making me wear a dress," Buttercup mumbled to me, "but I convinced her that short and green's the way to go." I glanced down at her legs and followed them up with my eyes. Legs, legs, legs... They never ended! Until finally, just, _just_ before they went too far, a thin scrap of green fabric met my vision. She backed up to give me a better look.

The dress was simple, but Buttercup pulled it off in such a unique way. It was a short, bright, mint green dress, plain and simple, with a small green flower on the hip. It had thin spaghetti straps over her shoulders, and was crimped towards the bottom near her thighs ((link: -remove spaces- www . newdresses2011 wp- content/plugins/ wp-o-matic/cache/ 8243c_30a348c67081df05_ short_lime_green _prom_dresses . jpg)). I noticed that it showed off her long, silky legs and her average-sized butt. Bubbles had also picked out a pair of silver pumps about six inches high that made me want to fall over by just looking at them. But Buttercup floated everywhere, so I guess she didn't need to walk in those shoes. I just hoped Bubbles didn't plan on putting me through a similar fiasco...

-o-

...I actually wish I would have gotten a similar treatment as Buttercup had. Anything but what I was forced to endure.

Bubbles allowed Buttercup to wander freely about the mall after she had chosen her outfit for her. I was green with envy (no pun intended there) as she happily escaped the horrid clothing shop, leaving me to rot in Bubbles' tight grasp.

"Okay," she began, picking a few things off the rack already. "Since we're going along with our theme here, I thought I'd go pink with you!" she held a few things up to Blossom's chest and I just sort of stood there awkwardly as she stared at me. "You're gonna need to try this stuff on..." she threw a pile of clothes into Blossom's arms and I nearly stumbled over. Bubbles flew over to another rack nearby and fetched something I wish I'd never have seen. A frilly, push-up-looking bra.

"This is to help you fit better in that dress there," she said, pointing to a frilly pink dress I had in Blossom's arms and topping the pile off with the bra. "I'm gonna have to help you out..."

She sighed and pushed me into a fitting room. I stood there nervously as she shut the door behind her.

"Okay, strip girl." she nodded to gesture me to take off Blossom's clothes. But I felt ridiculous. It was one thing getting dressed in the mornings on my own, but now it was ten times worse with Bubbles in the tiny, cramped fitting room with me. I didn't budge. Bubbles rolled her bright blue eyes. "Come on, silly, I'm not gonna bite."

I was bursting with the truth. I, Brick Jojo, one of the used-to-be most evil villains in Townsville, was having great difficulty lying. Tell me I wasn't turning completely into Blossom. Tell me it wasn't true. But I couldn't hold the truth in for any longer. _Especially_ not now, pressed up tight against a wall in a girl's fitting room with Bubbles threatening to rip my clothes off at any second. I flinched as she put an arm on my shoulder.

"Bubbles!" I exclaimed, squirming away from her and sighing in defeat. She looked at me with a funny expression. "I can't do this! I'm not...I'm not..." but I couldn't finish. She simplest watched me, waiting for me to finish. I hung Blossom's auburn haired head and sighed again. "I'm not the real Blossom."

Bubbles just stared. I studied her reaction closely, but she showed no sign of emotion whatsoever. She didn't even ask for the whole story, although I could tell she wanted it. She looked me in the eye and nodded.

"I know."

I blinked. She knew? What? How?

She sighed and put the pile of clothes down on the bench in the fitting room. "That day we fought you... I went back, you know. To see if everything was alright. After all, it did take Blossom quite some time to find her _shoe_."

I nodded. So this meant... She knew it was me the whole time? Then why did she play along? Why didn't she say something?

She giggled. "I didn't want to ruin this perfect opportunity for you two!" I wondered briefly if she could read my mind.

"What do you mean, _opportunity_?" I asked her curiously.

She giggled again. Damn. Didn't she ever get tired of that? "Oh, please," she said with a roll of her eyes. "Don't think nobody saw the absolute chemistry between you two that night. You were _totally_ flirting and everything! And what better chance is going to come along for you two than, well, _this_?"

I was speechless. So Bubbles knew the entire time about Blossom and I? And the only reason she didn't say anything was because she thought being in each others' bodies would bring us closer together? That is to say, _more_ _than enemies_?

"So, if you know that I'm me," I started hesitantly, "Then why are you threatening to undress me in this fitting room?"

At that, she full-on laughed out loud. "I could practically count the moments until you finally spilled the truth on me," she said matter-of-factly. "Besides. You can't pretend like you aren't looking forward to this date, even if you _are_ Brick."

I squinted at her. She was too right. I actually was kind of looking forward to this date. "Does Buttercup know?" I asked uneasily.

"Does Buttercup know what?"

Buttercup's threatening voice reached us from the other side of the door. Bubbles and I stared at each other with wide eyes. How long had she been standing there? What had she heard?

Bubbles threw open the door and rushed over to her sister, putting an arm on her shoulder. "Oh, hi there sis," she said cheerily. "I didn't know you'd be back so quickly!"

Buttercup lowered her eyes and shrugged Bubbles off of her. She met my eyes and stared me down intently, taking a few large steps towards me. I gulped. Bubbles watched uneasily as Buttercup stood inches from my face, her eyes squinted and her face accusing. I braced myself for an attack, anything. But nothing came. After a moment, Buttercup's face fell out of that accusing look and she smirked at me.

"Yeah, I knew you weren't my sister," she admitted with a shrug. I sighed, relieved that she wouldn't be beating me up. "I knew it ever since you came back late that night and skipped out on the Professor's lasagna."

Bubbles let out a small gasp. "I remember that!" she piped. Buttercup nodded, not taking her piercing green eyes away from mine.

"Blossom really does like you, though," Buttercup added softly. She folded her arms across her chest and sighed.

"She-she does?" I wasn't sure if I was hearing correctly.

Buttercup and Bubbles both nodded in unison. "Are you kidding me?" the dark-haired girl scoffed with a roll of her eyes. "She used to mumble your name in her sleep all the time."

Bubbles' face lit up. "Oh! And once, we stole her sketchbook, and we saw-"

"Yeah, I saw the sketches," I told them. Bubbles giggled and Buttercup lowered her eyelids again, squinting at me.

"So if you so much as hurt her," she whispered in a dark voice, "I will rip your soul right out of her body and kick you where the sun don't shine so hard, your grandchildren will feel it."

I gulped. "Y-Yes, ma'am!"

At my response, Bubbles laughed and Buttercup's face lit up into a half-smile. She uncrossed her arms and gestured to Bubbles.

"Okay, Bubbles, you got a dress for _her_?" She said the last word dryly, testing it out. Bubbles nodded.

"Sure, _she_ can wear the pink one!" She giggled at this new joke. I didn't see how it was funny, but I half-smiled in response anyways. Bubbles eagerly flew back into the fitting room and snatched up the pink dress from before. It was entirely hot pink, with spaghetti straps. The top was covered in pink sequins and was separated from the flowing, silky bottom by a single hot pink sash that tied in a now in the back ((link: -remove spaces- stunningdresses images/ dresses/ 2011/09/hot -pink-mini-dress . jpg)).

"I know this'll fit you," Bubbles said dismissively. "It's Blossom's size exactly." she twirled around with it in her arms and smiled giddily.

Suddenly, Buttercup's cell phone began to ring. She pulled it out of her pocket and answered it.

"Hello?"

Bubbles and I watched her face become contorted in confusion as she listened to the person on the other line. Her look of confusion turned to a look of surprise and happiness.

"You're where?" Buttercup walked out of the store we were in and looked to either side. Bubbles and I exchanged a confused look. Bubbles couldn't leave the store, because she hadn't bought the items, but she gestured for me to follow her and I did so.

"I don't see you..." Buttercup said to the person on the other line, fighting back laughter.

"_Who is it_?" I mouthed to her. She just hid her wide grin behind her hand and shook her head at me, still peering around the mall for someone I could not see.

"Hey Butterbabe."

Buttercup and I both whirled around to see my brother Butch standing with his arms crossed—well, arm. One of his arms was wrapped tightly in an ACE bandage and he looked absolutely ridiculous. Buttercup's face lit up and she smiled widely as she hung up her phone. I tried to hold back a chortle at my brother's injured arm, remembering exactly how he ha gotten it.

"Butch!" Buttercup said excitedly. Then she glanced at me uneasily. "I mean, uh. Hey, there you are, Butch."

I grinned slyly at her obvious discomfort, torn in between excitement at the sight of Butch and remaining tough and uncaring in front of me.

"Yeah," Butch said with a nod. "I was wondering if you could help me get this bandage off..." he held up his bandaged wrist.

"What happened?" Buttercup asked skeptically. He just shrugged.

"It's not really important."

I couldn't help but laugh a little bit now. Butch was such an idiot.

Buttercup reached out hesitantly and started to unwrap the bandage. I studied my brother's face carefully. I knew my brother. He wasn't as tough as he looked sometimes. And at this moment, I could definitely tell that Buttercup's less than gentle removal of his bandage was causing him pain. He but his lip to hide a wince as the bandage came off entirely.

Buttercup stared at his arm curiously. Written carelessly and sloppily on his forearm (this was his writing hand) were four words: "Buttercup: be my girlfriend?"

He smirked at her shocked expression. I was even a little surprised. This was quite a bit complicated for Butch.

"Oh my god," she muttered in disbelief. He just continued to smirk. She looked up at him and smiled. "S-Sure, Butch."

I nodded in satisfaction. Maybe my brother wasn't as much of an idiot as I thought. As Buttercup was pulled into an only semi-painful looking hug by Butch, I turned back around and headed into the store where Bubbles stood watching, confused. I just shook Blossom's head and smiled at the blonde girl.

With the least likely of my brothers having asked out his counterpart first, I could tell that this was about to be one hell of a date.


	12. Chapter 12

**Me: Oh my goshness you guys. I've reached a hundred reviews! Who knew this day would come? I sure didn't! Thank you all so very, very much! n.n And what's else, there are only three chapters left! Oh me, oh my! Whatever will we do after this story is over?**

**Bubbles: don't you already have another story started, Marisa?**

**Me: actually, I've got quite a few...**

**Blossom: you just published a one-shot...**

**Me: I KNOW. IT WAS AWFUL. I can't stop making those! :c But to all my readers, if you want, you should check it out. It's called "Purple Tie" and it's BCxButch.**

**Butch: gross.**

**Me: hush you. **

**Boomer: do you have any more stories you're gonna start after this?**

**Me: uh... Yeah, I do, actually. I have two of them. But I don't know which one to use next :z**

**Buttercup: use the one about me next, because I'm the best!**

**Me: well, I'm torn between a Greens story and a Blues story...**

**Brick: she's leaning towards the Blues, I can just tell.**

**Me: I don't know! I need some input! Reviewers, help meeeee!**

**Butch: Marisa doesn't own us, or anything to do with us. We're 16 with normal features and shit.**

**Me: watch your language.**

**Butch: fuck you.**

**Me: YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO.**

**Everyone: -_-**

**Me: enjoy the story.**

**xoxo -ml**

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**Chapter 12**

_**Anon**_

'Cafe De Paris' was a high-class, French culture restaurant on the very edge of Downtown Townsville. Blossom had made reservations for six at seven o'clock that evening. She prayed Brick would have enough common sense to bring the girls on time.

As the three 'boys' waited for their counterparts, they waited in the lounging area of the restaurant. Blossom was surprisingly comfortable in black slacks and shiny black shoes, with a light red button up dress shirt. She had pulled Brick's long, scraggly hair into a low ponytail and had removed his cap. She wanted to look as sophisticated as possible in Brick's body. She prepared herself as she would expect any date of hers to do so. She sat on the single bench in the lounging area, Brick's elbows resting on his knees and his foot tapping impatiently.

Butch and Boomer were dressed similarly, each with dress shirts corresponding to their own colour. Boomer was standing up eagerly next to the bench where Blossom sat, bouncing nervously from heel to heel. Butch was leaning against the wall near the opposite end of the bench, wearing a completely bored expression on his face and occasionally letting slip a small yawn.

When at long last the familiar white Chevrolet pulled into the parking lot outside with five minutes to spare, Blossom hopped straight up from the bench and straightened her outfit.

"Remember," she said to the brothers. "Best manners."

Butch rolled his eyes. "Fuck that," he mumbled. "What do you even want to impress those puffs for? We've already gained their trust." he grinned, reminding Blossom of his newly formed relationship with the green PowerPuff.

Before Blossom had a chance to slap him upside the head for who knows what reason, the three 'girls' entered the restaurant and looked around. Bubbles' eyes were wide with excitement and Buttercup's immediately met Butch's without a second glance.

Buttercup was wearing her cute, mint green dress with great reluctance, along with the silver pumps. However, she was floating just inches above the ground and simply refused to set herself down for fear of dying a most tragic death in those shoes. Surprisingly, Buttercup had actually _done_ something with her hair, at the eager persistence of Bubbles, of course. Nonetheless, it looked very nice, just the tiniest bit of a curl at the ends of her short ebony locks, a single mint green pin just above her left ear. From the second she stepped into the restaurant, she could not remove her eyes from Butch's. Blossom tried not to view the greens' rushed relationship as a negative one; as a relationship founded on lust. But it was very hard not to. By the way they were intensely looking at each other now; you would think they'd been going at it for months.

Bubbles and Boomer, on the other hand, did not meet each others' eyes until the six were standing near each other. Bubbles had not needed to purchase a dress at the mall earlier that day, for she already had one in her closet. Actually, she had quite a few in her closet, and it took her some time to decide which one she wanted to wear. She finally decided on a sparkly baby blue cocktail dress with matching blue heels ((link: -remove spaces- link also available on my profile - www . promdresses1 dresses /wp-content /uploads /2010/04/439 . jpg )). She still had the necklace from Boomer around her neck. Her long blonde hair was let down for once, held in place by a thin baby blue headband with a butterfly on. Her long, luscious locks were loosely curled and fell gracefully down her back and tumbled over her shoulders. When the two blues became close enough to each other, they finally made eye contact and Boomer was the first to flush a bright pink colour. Neither of them said anything but Bubbles grinned widely at the expression on her counterpart's face.

Finally, both of the reds, dressed and completely disguised as each other, let out a sigh of relief and met each others' eyes.

Blossom simply stared at the beautiful dress that her body displayed. It complemented her in all the right places and made her look absolutely stunning. Bubbles, no doubt, had constructed the hair style of the pink-eyed 'girl', and Blossom had to admit, she did a fantastic job. Even she had never seen her hair looking so good. It was waved ever slightly and pleated in the back, held in a small silver clip. Her bangs were let down in the front, straight and perfect, and her usual ribbon was absent.

Brick pulled the familiar smirk onto Blossom's strawberry pink lips and Blossom grinned in return.

"I sure clean up nice," Brick said to her, so quietly the others could not hear.

She pursed his lips to surprises a giggle. "I'm not so bad myself," she replied classily.

"Shall we?" Bubbles said with an eager smile, gesturing towards the door person, who was waiting patiently to seat the group. A unanimous nod from everyone and a nonchalant shrug from Butch signaled them in. Buttercup took hold of Butch's arm as they followed Bubbles and Boomer into the seating area.

Once seated at the large round table, Bubbles again took the opportunity to observe everything in sight. The delicate china on the table, the beautiful floral centerpiece, the pleasant band in the corner playing smooth, rhythmic music, even the white, soft-looking tablecloth. Her eyes were wide with wonder as Boomer looked on, more interested in her face than anything else.

Buttercup and Butch were still having an intense staring contest of sorts, though their hands were tightly intertwined and it was only a bit uncomfortable for Butch—he still had the bandage on his arm.

Blossom was breathing heavily, eighty times as nervous as the rest of them, fearful of so many things that could possibly go wrong. Brick saw this opportunity and seized it, taking hold of his own hand just underneath the table and squeezing firmly it to reassure her. He smiled out of the corner of Blossom's mouth and she smiled back with his.

"Hello, my name is Pierre and I will be your server today." a tall young waiter approached the table and handed out menus to the super powered teens. Bubbles and Boomer each took their menus gratefully, placing them in front of themselves carefully. Another waitperson began to expertly fill the glasses on the table in front of each of them. Buttercup took her menu and unfolded it before her, shielding herself from the rest of the table. Butch dropped his menu on the table and ducked behind her menu with her. Blossom and Brick each took their menus and mimicked the blues, setting them carefully beside their place settings.

Pierre took the group's drink orders, the blues with Sprite, the greens Mountain Dew, and the reds, Pepsi.

"May I interest you in an appetizer?" Pierre asked, heavily accented. Bubbles, Boomer, Blossom and Brick shook their heads, but Buttercup lowered her menu and glanced at Butch.

"I want a shrimp cocktail," Butch said smoothly. Blossom shot him a glare and he rolled his eyes. "_Please_."

Pierre nodded and jotted down the order, leaving the table with a swish of his apron.

"Anything look good?" Buttercup asked nobody in particular, picking the menu up and shielding her face from view again.

"Ooh, the 'Poulet Boulette' looks good," Bubbles said with a perfect accent.

Butch laughed. "Sounds foreign."

Blossom and Brick rolled their eyes in unison. "It's a French restaurant, Butch," Blossom said agitatedly. "Everything's foreign."

Butch's face lit up. "French?" he repeated, clapping one hand against the injured other. "So like, French Fries, French Toast, French Onion Soup, that kind of shit?"

Buttercup's giggle was heard from behind the menu and Butch looked pleased with himself.

"They might have the soup..." Brick mumbled to himself. He wore a very lost expression on Blossom's face as he perused the complicated menu.

"I like French Toast!" Boomer piped, his face alight. He picked up the menu to search for the food item.

"Oh, me too!" Bubbles chimed in, helping Boomer in his search for the familiar food.

Blossom said nothing but sternly glared at Butch and Buttercup, who were laughing uncontrollably. They ignored her and slapped a high five (Butch with his good hand, of course), causing a few heads to turn.

Brick was still studying the menu carefully with furrowed eyebrows, biting Blossom's bottom lip. He had no idea where to begin with this thing. 'Cuisses de Canard'? Was that chicken? Did they even eat chicken in France? What about frog's legs? Don't they have those here? Brick gulped. He definitely was not in the mood for frog's legs. What was he saying? When was he _ever_ in the mood for those? An empty thought crossed his mind just then. The old Brick would have tried to convince Boomer into ordering frog's legs... And then laughed when his face turned green from the disgusting taste! But Brick couldn't do that now. He thought about Blossom. What would she say if he did something like that? She put so much effort into this date; it would break her heart to have such a disaster occur. He buried her nose deeper into the menu and decided on traditional Ratatouille, a vegetable stew.

"Are you ready to order your entrees?" Pierre asked them upon returning to the table with the drinks and Butch's shrimp cocktail.

Bubbles expertly ordered the 'Nouilles et le Fromage', or noodles with cheese, for the two blues.

Buttercup and Butch stumbled over the pronunciation of 'Salade de Poulet', accenting the 't' at the end of the word.

Blossom and Brick agreed to share a plate of ratatouille.

Once everyone had ordered their meals, they handed the menus to the waiter and sat back, relieved.

"I really like that dress on you, Bubbles," Boomer said softly, breaking the silence. Bubbles' face was quick to blush.

"Aw, thank you Boomie," she said happily, "You look really handsome, too." now it was his turn to flush pink.

Buttercup and Butch looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

"Quit it with the sappy shit," Butch said, bored. "You gotta do it right." he grinned widely and turned to Buttercup. "BC, that dress looks totally hot on you, but I bet it would look better on the floor." he winked and Buttercup smiled back seductively.

Bubbles rolled her eyes and Brick laughed. Blossom looked surprised at him, and then shook her head.

"I think _Blossom_ looks stunning," she said with a smirk. Everyone turned to Brick, expecting him to say something in return.

"Yeah..." he muttered. "I-I mean, thanks!" Bubbles and Buttercup shared a knowing glance and laughed.

"Now that we have that stupid shit out of the way," Butch yawned, stretching his arm around Buttercup. She snuggled into him. Boomer observed his older brother, taking down mental note for the strategy of how to please a girl.

The six of them settled down easily, now that they had gotten the difficult parts of the evening down the drain. They chatted lightly, small talk and such basically consuming their conversation. The food arrived a few moments later and they each took daring turns trying their dishes.

When all were satisfied, the conversation fell silent as they enjoyed the meals.

_**Brick**_

I was literally shaking in my seat. Now that Bubbles and Buttercup knew my secret, I didn't put it past either of them to say something stupid. I watched Buttercup's mouth twist into a sly grin. She glanced first at Bubbles, and then Blossom, then finally her icy green eyes settled on me.

"_Blossom_," she said slowly, her voice oozing feigned concern. I squinted. The way she said it with such valour told me exactly where she was headed with this. So she wanted to play that game, did she? "I noticed that _your_ _guy_ dyed his hair!"

I saw Blossom's eyes flicker to me out of the corner of my vision.

"Uh, who?" I asked, trying to keep my cool.

"Daniel Rose, duh!" she said. "You've only had a crush on him for like three years."

I squirmed. Blossom raised one of my eyebrows.

"Oh, well, uh, not anymore!" I said quickly, not meeting Buttercup's or Blossom's gaze. "I don't like anyone!"

I know it was a stupid thing to say. I was on a freaking date with Blossom, for Christ's sakes. I shouldn't have said I didn't like anyone. But I had to prove Buttercup wrong.

Buttercup grinned wider than the Cheshire cat. "Oh really?" she asked, leaning forward with her chin in her hand. "Because Bubbles and I found your sketchbook the other day..."

I could practically feel Blossom twitch beside me. This was a touchy subject. At the sound of her name, Bubbles looked up from playing with her food, pretending not to listen, and nodded. My brothers were listening intently to the conversation, not quite understanding where it was going, but Boomer had a confused look on his face and Butch was still eyeing Buttercup like she was actually his dinner.

Blossom nudged me under the table and I started. "Uh, you d-did?" I said, not knowing what else to say.

Buttercup nodded slowly. "Yup, and there are strangely a bunch of pictures of _Brick_..."

I saw Blossom's face (my face, actually) drain of all colour. The fork she had been holding in my hand clattered noisily to the table. Buttercup just grinned.

"Is it hot in here?" Blossom suddenly asked, tugging on the light red shirt at the collar. She stood up and breathed heavily. "I need some air." She then walked swiftly out of the restaurant and outside onto the patio.

Buttercup met my eyes now. She waited a brief moment before speaking directly to me.

"Well?" she said suggestively. "Are you gonna go after _him_?" she said the last word with an exaggerated syllable and a wink so subtle it looked like a twitch.

"Oh, of course!" I jumped up and stumbled over my chair in an attempt to chase Blossom. Bubbles giggled behind a closed hand and my brothers still looked clueless as ever. Buttercup nodded solemnly and sank back into her chair as I threw my napkin down on my plate and went to find Blossom outside.

_**Blossom**_

It was getting dark out. The sun had just barely set beyond the horizon, and there were dark clouds settling in around the ominous looking moon. The wind picked up and blew Brick's ponytail around into my face. It was chilly and the sharp wind sent shivers down my spine. I crossed Brick's arms across his chest, half in anger, half because I was cold.

It had been sudden realization that drove me to leave the table. I had to get out of there once it dawned on me what had happened. I couldn't believe Brick had actually—

"Blossom?"

My own voice startled me and I clenched Brick's fists angrily.

"What do you want?" I asked through gritted teeth. I couldn't turn and face him, though I knew he was standing right there behind me.

"Why did you leave? I didn't mean to say—"

"Why did I leave?" I blurted, tightening Brick's fists at his sides. "Why did I _leave_?"

He said nothing, waiting for me. I closed Brick's eyes and shook my head. If I listened closely, I could hear thunder rumble in the distance.

"You told my sisters," I whispered, barely an audible sound above the wind. "You _told_ them about us..."

"How do you know they know?" he asked suddenly. I sensed him take another hesitant step towards me.

"Because they're my sisters, Brick," I responded obviously. "I know why Buttercup was acting that way. They _know_ and she was messing with you."

I kept my eyes closed and he was silent for a moment.

"But I didn't exactly tell them..." he mumbled quietly. Another rumble of lightning, like a bowling alley sounded in the distance.

"You didn't _exactly_ tell them?" I repeated. I opened my eyes and whirled around. The look of forlorn was clear as day on his face and he pleaded with me with my own eyes. "What _exactly_ happened then?"

He shifted from foot to foot, not looking me directly in the eyes. "She knew," he responded simply. "Bubbles told me she came back that day and heard us talking. And she knew the whole time."

My angry glare faltered slightly. She knew? And Buttercup knew, too? Bubbles must have told her. Which means that...?

"So you left my big mouthed sisters alone in there with your idiotic brothers?"

He gulped and nodded. I smacked myself in the forehead.

"You promise you didn't tell them?" I asked again, forcing him to look me in the eye now. He stared into my eyes for a split second but then he looked away, covering my mouth with my hand.

"Well, I may have brought it up before she admitted it..." he muttered behind my hand.

I exploded at the same time lightning flashed. "You _did_ tell them!" I roared, the thunder cracking behind me. "I can't believe this!" I threw Brick's arms into the air, and at that exact moment, the rain began to pour.

_**Anon**_

There was no awning or cover for the two outside the 'Cafe de Paris', so the pair were immediately soaked to the bone. Blossom's hair flattened in a most unflattering way, and Brick's shirt was skin tight with the moisture.

Yet Brick still stood there speechlessly, covering Blossom's mouth with her hand and watching her with wide, terrified eyes, and Blossom glared at him from under his dripping eyelashes, threatening to tear him apart at any second.

"I'm sorry, Blossom," Brick admitted, pushing a wet strand of Blossom's hair out of her eyes. For a moment he seemed sincere, and then his expression sunk to a foul one. "I'm sorry I'm not as perfect as _you_," he added with a sneer.

Blossom gasped. "Take that back, you no-good, lazy Ruff!"

"Not until you say you're sorry for being such a jerk, _babe_."

He knew she hated it when he called her babe. She lowered his eyes.

"You know," she said with heavy sarcasm, "I'm actually glad I had the chance to switch bodies with you, Brick. Because it helped me realize what total _idiots_ you RowdyRuffs really are."

Brick crossed Blossom's arms and huffed. "Hey! Boomer may be stupid, but we are _not_ idiots."

At this point, the rain was coming down in buckets and the lightning was flashing every second, but the two reds' voices could be heard loud and clear above the roaring thunder. Blossom and Brick were nearly nose to nose now, screaming in each others' faces.

"Boy do I loathe you, Brick Jojo," Blossom nearly growled in Brick's voice.

"I curse the day you were born," Brick snapped back.

"Don't be so cocky," Blossom retorted. "_You_ were born in a _toilet_."

Brick balled Blossom's fists angrily and squinted harshly at her. She moved to shove him, but he backed up, suddenly afraid. Another lightning strike hit, closer than ever, sending shivers down Blossom's spine as she was brought back to reality. Brick was backed up against the wall and his angry expression had dissolved into one of pure fear. He looked as if he just saw someone get shot.

"Don't pretend to be scared, I've seen that trick before," Blossom scoffed, waving one of Brick's hands in front of her face. But Brick wasn't pretending. His claustrophobia was kicking in, and this scene was all too familiar. The lightning, the thunder, the yelling, the fighting. It was déjà vu.

"I-I have to get out of here," he muttered fearfully under his breath. He shook Blossom's head and without another word, he took to the sky, leaving behind a streak of pink light and a single pink shoe.

"Wait!" Blossom called after him, picking up the shoe and waving it in the air. "Dammit Brick, we aren't finished here!" when he didn't turn around, she forcibly threw the shoe and missed him by miles. "Fuck you too!"

This time she didn't flinch at the swear. She kicked the ground with her foot and spat in the spot where he'd just stood. Without a glance back at the scene inside, she took off in the opposite direction, shooting a red hot laser beam at a nearby tree, causing innocent people to rush outside, wondering how the lightning had struck the tree.

_**Boomer**_

"Hey, it's raining," Bubbles noted, pointing to the downpour outside.

Butch and Buttercup paid her no mind. We had all finished our meals and were now relaxing comfortably with full stomachs.

"Hey, Butch?" I tried, nervously tapping my fingers on the table. "Shouldn't we go see if Brick's okay?"

"He can handle a little _water_, Boom," Butch responded with a sneer. "Besides, I'm busy." he hadn't taken his eyes—or his hands—off of Buttercup yet. He grinned into her lips and she smiled back as they kissed for what felt to the blues like the hundredth time.

Bubbles sighed. "But Blossom..." she looked helplessly towards the front exit. I sighed too, and made a move to get up and retrieve the two reds, but then I caught view of Butch and decided against it. If Butch could make out with Buttercup...

I pulled Bubbles closer and muttered, "She'll be fine, I promise," into her ear. With one last glance towards my raven haired brother, I leaned into the forlorn-looking Bubbles' face and kissed her tenderly on the lips. She giggled into the kiss and returned it with a smile.

"I guess you're right," she responded, meeting my lips again. She tasted wonderful, like cotton candy—the blue kind, of course. Maybe even blueberries. And strangely... was that... raspberry? I put my other arm around her and rested it on her waist. I could feel her arms around my neck, her dainty fingers gingerly caressing the back of my hair... I pulled her in deeper and I was flying, I really was. I could almost feel her sink right into me, so close, so—

"Hey!" Butch's stern bark cut into my vision and snapped me right out of the kiss. I could feel my face going hot. "No kissing at the table, Boomer. Where are your manners?"

He snickered. Buttercup and Bubbles both giggled and I lowered my head onto the table, my forehead contacting the wood with a nice, loud, _**thump**_.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

**Me: hey people, I hope you enjoyed that lovely chapter! It sure took a lot of work to write x.x but I'm sure you loved it, right? n.n hehe.**

**In other news. I NEED MORE ENTRIES FOR MY CONTEST, PEOPLE. Alright, I have so far —count em— THREE entries! That's actually quite good :3 but I crave more. I know you all know how to write! REMEMBER! The theme word is _DREAM_ and it can be _ANY_ pairing or genre! ANY AT ALL! It doesn't even have to be romance or anything. So come on, I know you want to enter... ;) you've only got until August 15th, so get cracking! **

**I love you all, and thanks SO MUCH for the 100+ reviews! n.n**


	13. Chapter 13

**Me: GUESS WHO'S BACK?**

**Butch: BACK AGAIN?**

**Buttercup: MARISA'S BACK**

**Me: TELL A FRIEND**

**Boomer: hey Brick!**

**Brick: yeah?**

**Boomer: Marisa's back!**

***facepalms***

**Me: hey everyone, it's great to be here ^_^ The sad news is, not including this chapter, I only have two chapters left to write. Can this really be happening?**

**Bubbles: IM GONNA MISS YOU!**

**Me: it's not time for tears, Bubbles. You'll ruin it for everyone.**

**Blossom: be strong.**

**Me: make sure you're getting those contest entries in, of course! Brick, disclaimer please!**

**Brick: consider yourself disclaimed. 16. Normal features. Yeah. Okay. Let's get on with it.**

**Me: review! ^_^**

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

**Chapter 13**

_**Brick**_

Stupid homework. Hers was twelve times harder than mine. I did it, but I hated every second of it. I did it out of anger. I needed something to channel my angst, and the only thing that was really available was the algebra. So I did it.

I couldn't even speak her name without that boiling feeling burning in my stomach.

I was so angry, _so very angry_. Who did she think she was, anyways? She blamed everything on me, saying it was my fault her sisters knew. But it wasn't even my fault, really. I almost didn't tell them. And even if I hadn't, they still would have known. What's the big deal, anyways? Why is it such a bad thing that Bubbles and Buttercup know who I really am? Maybe that makes it better! Maybe they could help get me out of this stupid mess for good. I didn't see why she was so angry. I just didn't understand.

_**Thump, thump.**_

Someone was making a thumping noise in the other room. I ignored it and tried to concentrate on the algebra.

The quadratic equation, okay. _X_ equals negative _b_ add or subtract the square root of _b_ squared over 4_ac_, divided by—

_**Thump, thump.**_

It was getting louder now. I gripped the pencil tighter in my hand and bore down on the paper. Ugh. Blah, blah, blah, _b_ squared over 4_ac_, divided by 2_a_. I wrote down this equation carefully.

_**Thump, thump.**_

That's it.

"Would you guys keep it down, I'm trying to do my homework in here!" I screeched loudly.

Stupid Buttercup and her new boyfriend. So what if he just so happened to be my brother. They were both stupid.

The thumping stopped, but I received no reply from either of the greens. I went back to my work.

Okay, so if _a_ is the coefficient of _b_ and _x_ is greater than five...

A timid knock sounded at the door to the bedroom and I whirled around to face it, my eyes threatening to shoot lasers.

"What?" I cried, stalking over to the door and flinging it open.

"Sorry Brick, it's me, Bubbles," she whispered, even though I could clearly see her in the doorway. I rolled my eyes.

"I can see that, what do you want?"

"That wasn't Buttercup, making that noise, in case you were wondering." she jabbed a thumb in the general direction of the noise. I raised an eyebrow, as of to question what the real source of the sound was. She just shook her head and stepped past me into the room, making her way over to the bed. She sat down daintily and looked at me.

"Have you put any thought into how..." she cleared her throat lightly. "How exactly you're going to switch back?" her voice went up an octave—if that's even possible for Bubbles—and she flinched when I scoffed at her.

"Of course I have," I replied. "I haven't stopped thinking about it all this time!"

I pounded one of _her_ stupid fists into the desk. I still couldn't bring myself to say her name without freaking out.

"Well, I think I might know a solution," she muttered quietly, not meeting my eyes and playing with the comforter on the bed.

I scoffed again. "How can you? What do you know about this sort of thing?"

She half-shrugged. "I asked the Professor."

I blinked. I was supposed to do that, I remember. _She_ had told me to when we'd first discovered that we were in this mess. _Good. I hope she remembers that. I don't have to listen to her._

"What'd he say?" I asked Bubbles, leaning carefully on the desk with my arms crossed. That stupid picture of _her_ was still on the top shelf of the desk. I had to flip it backwards so I couldn't see it; otherwise I might've sent it flying through a wall.

"He said that if something like this were to happen," she began, using the hypothetical tense of the situation, "Then the persons would have to develop extremely strong emotion towards the other, in order to switch back. Their souls, rather."

I stared, bug-eyed. "You mean I actually have to _like_ her?" I blurted. "A _lot_? Oh, great. Just my luck." I threw my arms into the air.

Bubbles simply shook her head. "No, not exactly," she said. "You see, the Professor simply said 'extremely strong emotion'. So essentially, it could be any emotion. And right now... I'd say your best bet would be anger."

"How about hatred?" I spat at her. She sighed.

"You and I both know you don't hate Blossom." I winced at the sound of my counterpart's name. Immediately I thought of my own body, being controlled by that girly psychopath. I shook my head to rid myself of the image.

"So I have to use my anger against her to switch us back?" I questioned. That didn't make sense. "But we stood out in the rain, screaming each others' heads off and nothing happened."

"Then one of you must not have been feeling as angry as the other."

I thought about that for a moment. _She_ had been angry, I knew that. I could tell by the way she looked at me, aiming daggers out of my eyes in absolute fury. But was I truly angry? Actually, no, I wasn't. I was only shouting back at her because... Well, because...

That's just it. I don't know why I shouted back. I had no reason to. I wasn't angry with Blossom. _Flinch_. I had no reason to be. I knew it had been my fault that her sisters had found out about us. So why did I yell back at her?

It was like Bubbles read my mind again.

"I think the reason you _thought_ you were angry is because you didn't want to look silly in front of Blossom." she crossed her knees on the bed and gazed thoughtfully towards the ceiling. "You wanted to show her your toughness and to simply snap back at her."

As much as I hated to admit it, I knew she was right. I _did_ want Blossom to get angrier with every word I said. I wanted to make myself seem bigger, and _not_ to cower in fear in front of her. To show her that I could handle anything she brought to the table. But I wasn't angry.

"So what do I have to do?" I asked her helplessly. She smiled.

"I think I understand now," she said. "Maybe anger isn't the proper way to do this. Maybe you should feel some other sort of emotion..."

She trailed off and I stared at her. "Like...?" I forced her to continue. A faint pink tint formed at her cheeks.

"Well...you like her, don't you?"

I knew this was coming. I rolled my eyes. "Bubbles, liking somebody doesn't count as an emotion."

"No, but love does."

Damn. She had me again. There was no easing my way out of this one.

"But what if I don't love her?" I questioned. "Or what if... what if she doesn't love me?"

The sudden question actually sent shivers down my spine. I had always thought that Blossom would just automatically love me. I'm Brick, of course she should. But that wasn't the case. I had never actually put much thought into what the result would be if she didn't feel the same way. But then again, did I even love her?

Did I love Blossom Utonium?

"I can tell how you both feel towards each other," Bubbles said truthfully. "It might not be love quite yet, but with the right actions, it could be." she smiled, hinting.

I lowered my gaze to the floor. "Can't we just use some other emotion?" I begged. "Like you said, our anger towards each other, or sadness that, I dunno, I failed the algebra test or something?"

Bubbles gasped. "You failed her algebra test?"

"Wha-no, no, of course not. But we could tell her I did." I grinned maliciously but Bubbles shook her head.

"We are safer using the strongest mutual emotion between you two. You wouldn't be very sad even if you did fail that test."

I sighed, defeated. I guess at this point, I had no choice. But I had to do something about Blossom hating me. _Loathing_ me, as she'd said. I couldn't have someone who was supposed to love me hating me. That just wasn't right.

"I have to go," Bubbles said suddenly, standing up to get out of the room. "I promised Boomie I'd beat him to the park." she winked and giggled at my eye roll. "But here~ I wrote this stuff down from the Professor's Lab." she handed me a sheet of paper with some intricate facts written neatly on it. "Hopefully it will help. If there's anything I can do..."

"I'll let you know," I finished. "Thanks." then I surprised myself. I actually smiled at the blonde girl. She appeared shocked for a brief moment, then smiled back and turned on her heel out the door.

I glanced down at the sheet of paper. There sure were a lot of regulations that would require our plan to work just right. It said that for every emotion shared, the stronger the emotion, the faster the bodies would begin to replace themselves. I knew that we had shared one emotion, at least. Unless my hardly-existent anger didn't count last night. I studied myself in the mirror. If anything, I had become even _more_ Blossom as the time went on. I checked my eyes first. Nope. Still pink. Then I observed the rest of her body. I tried not to stare at the curves, the perfect shape...

I shuddered, reminding myself that this was _me_ in this body. I still had her ears, her nose, her eyebrows—her everything.

I glanced at the paper again. "_Old scars will likely be the first to return._" what did that mean? Like, literal scars? Or was it one of those freaky metaphor things? I looked carefully at Blossom's left arm. Huh. The scar that I got skateboarding two years ago was faintly visible on the back of her elbow. I felt my heart leap. It was working! We were slowly returning to ourselves, starting with my tiny scar!

I observed myself for any other scars, and found two on the back of Blossom's right leg and one on her stomach from precious accidents I'd had. I knew these were all mine and I was ecstatic. I felt excited and giddy. I would be getting back into my own body very soon, I could tell! I jumped up and down and sort of twirled in the air out of excitement. I could practically feel my old lucky cap back on my head, could practically smell my old musky house stench from here. I was so close.

Now all I had to do was convince Blossom that she loved me.

I sighed.

Great.

_**Blossom**_

The only way I could think to blow off some steam was playing more video games. After I zoomed back to the RowdyRuffs' shack that night, I changed into something dry and plopped myself down in front of the television. I flicked on the game and began to play.

I didn't stop playing when Butch and Boomer got home. All I needed to know was that Butch hadn't followed Buttercup home, and I lost concern. They barged through the door and immediately, Boomer rushed over to me and glomped me.

"Brick! We thought you didn't come home!" he exclaimed, cutting off my air flow. I choked under his tight grip and shoved him off me.

"Get off, Boomer, I'm fine," I scowled, rubbing Brick's neck where he had grabbed me.

Butch said nothing at all, which was strange even for him. He simply walked over to his beanbag and picked up the other controller. I wordlessly added him into the game and we began to play. Boomer sat and watched for a few minutes, every once in a while he would ask a question, and both Butch and I would ignore him. I felt a sudden wave of affection towards Butch for completely understanding how I was feeling right now. He knew exactly how I felt, it seemed, realizing that I just needed to blow off some steam by killing a couple million people in CoD.

Once Boomer got the hint that he was being ignored, he yawned and made his way over to his 'bed' in his sleeping bag. He had changed out of his fancy outfit and put on a pair of deep navy shorts and a white t-shirt. He hopped into his sleeping bag, and moments later we could hear his soft snore drift over from the corner. I mentally dared Butch to make a move on him, but I knew even he was smart enough than to do that. Unless of course, he wanted to die. And I didn't think he did, considering he just made his relationship with Buttercup official.

We silently played video games until three or four in the morning, when Butch slipped into slumber right in his beanbag chair. I continued to play though his character immediately died every time. When at last it got boring, I used Brick's laser vision to shut the game off. I made a mental note that Butch would probably kill me for that later, but I couldn't care less. I needed to take a walk.

I slipped through the door without a sound, and out into the cool early morning fog. The sun had yet to come up and the morning was still grey and drab. I floated out of the forest and found my way towards the sidewalk on the edge of town. I followed the sidewalk for a while, not setting Brick's feet down on the ground, but hovering just above it carefully.

After following the sidewalk down a few miles, I reached the very end of Townsville. I sighed and made to turn back around when I saw the sun rising slowly above the horizon. I stopped to watch it, just staring in awe at the beautiful colour. It was exactly the colour of Brick's eyes. Bright, blazing red and simply heavenly.

I sighed heavily and looked away, not able to face the sight any longer. I zoomed back to the shack, Brick's hair blowing behind me in an enigma of scraggly, red-orange strands.

I stopped when I reached the entrance to the forest. I looked down at my feet on the edge of the sidewalk and came face-to-face with a large puddle. My reflection in the puddle reminded me of the very first day Brick and I became each other. I sighed, just looking at Brick's devilishly handsome face. Yes, devilishly handsome. Although I said I loathed him, I still had to admit- he was attractive. I studied his features, his soft cheeks, his lips, his nose, his... his _eyes_. I blinked a few times, his reflection mimicking me. I could picture the face in my mind, right down to every last... detail?

Wait a second.

What was that on his left cheek? I turned his face to the side and the puddle-Brick did the same.

There, on his left cheek, was an identical scar to the one I'd gotten fighting Mojo back a few years ago. I studied it closer. It was crescent-shaped, barely the size of a dime and faint on his cheek.

But it was there. The same exact scar.

It hadn't been there before, when we'd first swapped bodies. Which meant...?

We were changing back.

I covered Brick's mouth with his hand and gasped. My heart jumped. We were changing back! Slowly but surely, my scars were returning. I searched Brick's body for more signs of our return. There was the scar from third grade when Buttercup accidentally cut me with the scissors... and there was the barely healed paper cut I'd gotten a few days ago! I couldn't help myself from jumping up and down for joy. I clapped Brick's hands together and, stealing another glance into the reflection in the puddle, I darted into the forest and back to the RowdyRuffs' shack.

I barged through the door and flew over to where Brick and the others kept their spare clothes. I changed into something a little more presentable, jeans and a plain red t-shirt, and turned to leave.

"Where you going in such a rush?"

I whirled around to see Butch, sitting up on the beanbag with his arms crossed.

"Oh hey," I said easily, rubbing the back of Brick's neck with his hand. "I didn't know you'd be up."

"Me either," he said with a yawn, "But it's kinda hard to sleep with some red bastard tearing up the house."

I grinned sheepishly at him. "Sorry."

"Hey, can you guys shut up, I'm trying to sleep!" I saw Boomer roll over in his sleeping bag and cover his face with his arm. Butch laughed.

"Aw, did we wake the baby?" He mocked in a baby voice.

"Oh, never mind, I'm not tired anymore anyways," Boomer muttered, uncovering himself and floating into the center of the room.

Butch laughed again. "I love how much more awesome I am than you, Boomer."

I scrunched Brick's eyebrows. What a stupid thing to say.

Boomer scowled at him. "Keep telling yourself that," he retorted, sticking out his tongue immaturely.

"I will," the raven-haired boy replied smartly. "Because you've never done anything better than me or before me _ever_ in your damn life!" And he laughed again.

Boomer looked cross. "Well... Well... That's not true!" He shouted. "Because I... uh, I'm finishing out my plan today!" He immediately covered his mouth with his hands and I heard him gasp.

Butch stared at him in awe. "You are?"

Boomer had no choice but to nod in reply.

Butch crossed his eyes. "Well, no sissy brother of mine is gonna beat me at my own damn game! I'm going too!"

I could practically see Boomer's confidence rising now. "Are you sure you don't want to keep your _girlfriend_ a little while longer?"

Butch literally barked at him. Like a dog. Boomer stuck his tongue out again and in a flash of blue, he was gone. Not too much after, Butch nodded at me once and flew out on his trail.

Shoot. I had to follow them, to make sure they didn't hurt my sisters. I didn't think Boomer would actually go through with the plan, let alone be the one to initiate it. I darted out the door after the boys.

_**Anon**_

Brick had decided to go apologize to Blossom at his own home. He left the house at surprisingly, the same time as she did.

With both of the reds zooming towards each other at top speed, this wasn't looking good.

_**BAM!**_

The two collided head-first, sending one another flying back a few feet on the rebound.

"Oh, I am so sorry," Blossom said quickly, shaking her head. She opened her eyes and observed the figure in front of her. "_Brick_?"

Brick shook Blossom's hair behind him and moved to swipe her bangs out of her face, but something strange happened.

The bangs swished themselves out of his eyes.

Yes, _his_ eyes.

"Blossom!" he exclaimed. "You've got your own eyes back!"

And he was right. Her bright pink eyes shined out at him from behind his own lids. He went to swipe her bangs out of his eyes again, but this time they were no longer there.

"Wha-"

Before Brick could say anything, Blossom was struggling with _his_ hair. Suddenly, the front of his hair had grown long and straight into her eyes. She swept them repeatedly off of his forehead.

"What's happening?" she asked excitedly, finally just wrapping the bangs around Brick's finger and tucking them into his cap.

"Bubbles told me how we can switch back," he said breathlessly. "We've got to both be feeling the same emotion strongly at the same time!"

Blossom blinked. "Are we changing back now?" She asked eagerly.

"Well, it happens gradually..." Brick mumbled, rubbing his own scar on Blossom's arm. She reached up and touched her crescent scar on his cheek.

"So what?" she scoffed. "I've got my own scars, eyes, and hair now? That's _it_?"

When Blossom said "it", her voice raised about three octaves and it came out in a familiar screech. She slapped Brick's hands over his mouth and inhaled deeply.

"Blossom..." Brick mumbled then, testing his own voice.

It was true. They had their own voices back now! Both Blossom and Brick had their own hair, eyes, and voices. Scars, too.

"But what emotion did we feel?" Blossom asked in her own voice.

Brick couldn't help but smile at the sound of her voice coming out of his mouth.

"Well... We were both excited about getting our own bodies back," he observed, his deep scorching voice coming out of Blossom's mouth.

"Are we going to go back completely?" Blossom screeched.

Brick shook her head. "I don't know," he admitted. Blossom reached up to feel her hair. Instead of Brick's scraggly, rough texture, her hair was soft, feminine and conditioned. She ran Brick's hands through it and closed her eyes.

"I just want to be me again," she whispered quietly, tears forming in her bubblegum eyes.

Brick reached out, resting her hand on his own shoulder. He didn't know what else to do. Blossom wiped her eyes with the back of his hand and took a deep breath.

"Me too, Bloss," Brick muttered, his hopes rising at the sound of his own voice coming out as he said it. "Me too."


	14. Chapter 14

**Me: Hello fans everywhere! Thank you all so very much for the many reviews I got on the previous chapter! I liked that one a lot, so I hope this one isn't disappointing. It's where all the drama happens and I think you'll be satisfied with the results! This is the second to last chapter, everyone! Whatever shall we do?**

***The Puffs & Ruffs stare at me like I have three heads***

**Me: *sheepishly* What?**

**Brick: Hey, how is your contest coming along?**

**Me: Still only three entries! ):**

**Boomer: People need to start entering!**

**Me: I know! COME ON PEOPLE! The word for this month is DREAM, remember, and the deadline is August 15th!**

**Bubbles: Good luck! ^_^**

**Blossom: We're all sixteen and have normal features. Also, Marisa does not own any of us.**

**Me: There are a lot of POV-changes in this chapter, so just try to bear with me T.T Enjoy & review!**

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

**Chapter 14**

_**Brick**_

When you're supposed to be a sixteen year old girl and you have the voice of a guy, school is definitely not an option.

"Blossom, get up for school!" the Professor called for the tenth time that morning. "I thought you'd be the last of your sisters I have to worry about getting up!"

I rolled over in Blossom's bed. I didn't want to say anything, for fear of giving myself away. What was I supposed to do? I had to think fast. I could hear the Professor's footsteps on the stairs.

"Blossom!" the door swung open and the Professor stood in the doorway, looking concerned. "Are you alright?"

I pretended to cough. It sounded pretty convincing. I made my voice as high as it would go and rolled over in Blossom's bed.

"Professor, I don't think I can go to school like this," I croaked, blinking back fake tears.

The Professor rushed over to the bedside looking absolutely horrified.

"You look awful!" he cried, placing his hand on Blossom's forehead. "You're warm... And your eyes are all bloodshot! You cannot go to school today, young lady." he made a sound that went something like, _tsk, tsk_. "I'll go get you some medicine and whip up some tea and soup. You stay in bed until I get back."

I yawned and turned over in Blossom's bed with a smirk, willing myself back to a good night's sleep. Who knew faking sick could be so easy?

_**Blossom**_

How in the heck was I supposed to go to school when I sounded like a chipmunk with my own voice in Brick's body? I tested my voice several times in front of the mirror while Boomer and Butch were scarce.

(The night they went to 'sabotage' the girls, they'd come home with angry looks on their faces, eyes pointed like daggers towards each other. I didn't have the guts to ask what had happened, but I knew my sisters had probably unknowingly convinced them that they didn't want to hurt them.)

It was no use. I sounded like something out of a kid's cartoon. I couldn't go to school as Brick like _this_. It was preposterous.

The next morning, when Butch kicked me under the sleeping bag, I groaned as deeply as I could and rolled over.

"Get up, lazy ass," Butch yelled, kicking me again.

"I'm up! I'm up!" I heard Boomer cry, hopping up out of his sleeping bag and tripping over himself, falling in a miserable heap onto the floor.

"Not you, stupid," Butch scoffed. "Brick, get the _fuck_ up before I bury my foot in your jaw."

"I'm sick," I moaned in the deepest voice I could muster.

"Bullshit," he replied. "Get up."

I coughed heavily, hacking up some pretty nasty stuff. I don't even want to get into it, so I'll skip that detail.

"He does sound kinda sick, Butch," Boomer muttered. Ever since the night of the double date, Boomer has been a lot more forward standing up to Butch. And I could tell Butch didn't like it.

"Fuck it," Butch cried, throwing his arms in the air and sending one last kick straight into my back. "If he wants to fake sick again and fail school, let him. C'mon, Boom."

They flashed out the door without glancing back. I peered out of the sleeping bag, making sure they were gone, and then laughed insanely.

I had tricked them! Ha-ha! And what's more, I got to stay here and play video games while everyone else was at school! Talk about luck!

I did feel _kind_ _of_ sorry that I was missing school for Brick, who had undoubtedly missed countless days. But it was for a good cause. I had to be turning back into myself sometime soon!

Or else... I don't know what I'd do.

_**Anon**_

"Okay, Boomer," Butch told his younger brother as they both flew to school. "Today we're actually gonna get those Powder Puffs."

Boomer nodded nervously. "Sure," he agreed.

"We're _not_ gonna chicken out like we did yesterday."

"Uh, nope!"

"And we sure aren't gonna let those stupid Puffs into our cold hearts."

"Yea—wait, cold?"

Butch nodded. "Even if they do have, you know... Smoking hot bodies." Butch spotted a certain raven-haired girl across the schoolyard as they approached. He slowed down to admire her, almost stopping, and Boomer followed suit.

"Beautiful," the blonde agreed, noticing his counterpart nearby, talking to a few of her friends.

"And sexy eyes..." Butch continued.

"Hypnotizing," his brother corrected in a whisper.

As the girls entered the school building, Butch shook his head of the sight and glared at Boomer.

"They aren't gonna get to us, right Boomer?"

Boomer blinked several times and shivered inwardly. "Right..." he agreed quietly.

_**Butch**_

I wasn't going to let Buttercup get to my head, even though she _was_ my girlfriend. I knew I was going to look like a complete asshole when it turned out I had only used her to lead to her own destruction, but I didn't care. As long as I could wipe the stupid smirks off of their stupid little faces...

"Hey Butch," she said tantalizingly into my ear as I approached her locker. She trapped me between her arms and fixed her lips onto mine without another word.

I closed my eyes, her scent filling my mind and consuming my entire head. She was good.

"Hey Butterbabe," I replied as we pulled away for breath. We couldn't _completely_ make out in the middle of the hallway. That'd just be creepy.

"What's up?" she asked me, grabbing a notebook out of her locker. My head was still spinning from her kiss. No other girl that I'd kissed had ever made me feel like that. She drove me absolutely wild.

I shrugged, leaning against the other lockers. "The usual shit, you know." When she had her books carelessly held in her arms, I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her towards me for another kiss. She smirked and kissed me willingly, the school bell ringing in our ears. She tasted like mint and chocolate; she was like race cars and monster trucks; bonfires and rock concerts. None of that stupid girly stuff. She was perfect.

...Oh, who the fuck was I kidding? I couldn't sabotage my own _girlfriend_. And if I couldn't do it, Boomer sure as fuck couldn't do it. But he didn't need to know that I was a sucker for the sweet stuff.

_**Boomer**_

Okay. All I had to do was approach her, and bring on my attack. I had to show that bully Butch that I was stronger than he thought I was. I took a deep breath and walked towards Bubbles' locker, puffing out my chest and trying to look tough as possible.

As I approached, Bubbles turned around and a huge grin formed on her flawless face.

"Boomie!" she exclaimed when she saw me, so excited, she dropped her books all over the floor. At this, both of us flushed bright pink and I dropped the stupid tough guy act. I stooped to help her pick up the books, reminded of the night when the two of us picked up her stuffies from the ground at the fair.

"Thanks," she whispered when I picked up a final sheet of paper and placed it in her arms. She was staring at me with those huge, wide sky blue eyes. _Now's your chance!_ my mind screamed. _Give her what's coming to her! Impress your brother! You can do it!_

But I couldn't do it. With Bubbles staring at me, not breaking her gaze even when the school bell rang, I couldn't do it. She was just too innocent. A sweet little smile on her face, a flutter in my heart... Dang it.

The hallways were clearing. Neither of us moved. After a few seconds, we were the only two in the hallway. I leaned in towards her. Her lips met mine with a shock of blue electricity. It was like our first kiss at the carnival all over again. I felt my face growing hotter than it had ever been, and I reached up to cup her face in my hands. Her cheeks felt about as warm as mine as I deepened the kiss. She was cotton candy and bubblegum; carnival games and stuffies; sugar and flowers. She was perfect.

As I pulled away, the tardy bell rang and we both stood there looking at each other like idiots.

"We're late," she said bluntly.

"Come on, I'll walk you to class," I replied, relieving her of her books and putting them in my arms with my own.

"But isn't your first period upstairs?" she asked, concerned.

I shrugged. "I'm already late," I said truthfully. "I might as well make it worth something." I grinned at her. She smiled back and took my hand, leading me off towards her first class.

_**Anon**_

Boomer and Bubbles walked hand-in-hand down the hallway for a moment. They turned the corner~

~And Boomer gasped at what he saw.

Two dark heads, completely interlocked and pressed up against the lockers nearby completely ignored their surroundings as they went at it.

"_Butch_?" Boomer cried with a disbelieving laugh.

Butch immediately pulled his head away from Buttercup's and studied his brother.

"Uh, Boomer?" he said, raising an eyebrow at his brother's hand-holding with Bubbles. The blonde girl just giggled and Buttercup was panting lightly.

The two brothers stared each other down for what felt like an eternity before they both burst into laughter.

"I knew you couldn't do it," Butch laughed, one arm still wrapped around the confused Buttercup's waist.

Boomer laughed right back at him. "Yeah, but you couldn't even last an hour!" he retorted, still holding a confused Bubbles' hand.

"What are you two idiots talking about?" Buttercup cried, pulling away from Butch and putting her hands on her hips.

Bubbles let go of Boomer's hand and crossed her arms over her chest.

Butch and Boomer stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, each daring the other to say something, but neither did. They just shook their heads and smiled.

"C'mon Butterbabe," Butch said, taking Buttercup's arm and pulling her in the opposite direction the blues had been heading. "We're late for science."

Buttercup fought back for a second, trying to stay put, but eventually gave up and willingly followed Butch to their classroom.

"What was that all about?" Bubbles asked Boomer with a very questioning look in her eyes.

Boomer rubbed the back of his neck and grinned sheepishly. "Ehh... Just some stupid bet Butch and I had," he half-lied. "It's not important now." he took Bubbles' hand in his own again and they began to walk towards Bubbles' first period classroom.

_**Brick**_

I have no idea how long I was asleep for, but when I woke up, the sun was shining low in the sky, and I knew it must have been the early afternoon.

"Blossom, here~, I made you some more tea and soup."

The Professor's voice floated into my dreams and I shook my head. The action felt strange and alien as I rolled over in Blossom's bed. I didn't open my eyes, but I could hear the man's footsteps approaching the door, then finally the door swung open. I heard him enter, and I heard the soft chime of glass clattering on a tray.

"Now this tray is very hot, I just want you to—"

I heard him gasp. The tray fell to the ground with a loud sound of breaking glass. I bolted up into a sitting position and stared at him, wide-eyed. He stared right back at me, backing up slowly and rubbing his eyes.

"_Brick_?" he exclaimed, looking confused at me now.

I shut my eyes tight. This wasn't happening. Not now. _Anytime_ but now. Slowly, I opened my eyes and looked down at myself.

Sure enough, though I was dressed in Blossom's same pajamas (and admittedly, I looked like a complete idiot), I knew those hands from anywhere. I held my own hands up in front of my eyes and grinned from ear to ear. They were mine! One hundred percent mine! I threw the covers off my legs and (again, the whole pink long-sleeved-shirt-and-pajama-pants outfit did anything but compliment me) lo and behold, these were my legs, my feet, and my arms. I felt my face. It was mine. I allowed my very own hands to feel my bare chest underneath Blossom's pajama shirt. Flat. Completely flat. I let out a sigh of relief. The only thing missing was my lucky red cap on my head.

With a huge grin on my face, I studied the Professor's reaction to all of this. He stood huddled in the corner, bearing a _very_ confused expression on his face. Hey, I didn't blame him. I'd find it pretty weird, too, if I walked into my daughter's room and there was some guy dressed in her clothes and sleeping in her bed.

I had to admit though; it was pretty hilarious scaring the guy half to death.

I gave him sort of a salute and in one swift move, I was off the bed and out the door, floating down the stairs before he could say another word. As I passed the living room, Bubbles and Buttercup, recently home from school, whirled around at the sight of me.

"Brick!" Bubbles shouted happily. "You're back to normal!"

"And you're wearing Blossom's pajamas," giggled Buttercup, slightly less than surprised.

I flew in circles around them with that same grin on my face, just happy to be back in my own body once again.

"I'm outta here," I said, more happily than I ever could have been. "But wait." I stopped mid air and hovered there for a second, studying both of the girls' faces. "If that thumping noise the other day wasn't you, BC, then Bubbles... What was it?" I grinned maliciously, thinking I had her cornered now, but she simply shrugged and smiled innocently.

"I was gonna tell you. The Professor met a new girl the other night," she replied, a smug look on her face. I felt my face drain of colour and I stared back at her angrily. She shrugged. "You asked!"

"So BC," I continued casually, pretending I didn't hear that, "Butch didn't spend the night here?"

The raven haired girl grinned. "Just because I didn't let him get anywhere with me doesn't mean he didn't stay the night once or twice..." she winked and I nearly barfed.

"Sometimes I wonder what you girls see in those idiots," I said, shaking my head.

"What do _we_ see in _them_?" Buttercup scoffed. "What does Blossom see in you?" she pointed at me and I was reminded that I was wearing women's pajamas.

My face flushed again.

"Touché." I flipped around in a loop-de-loop before heading towards the door. "See you later!" I called over my shoulder as I dashed out the door.

I had to make sure it was really true, that I really was back to myself again. And the only way to find that out was to finally go back home.

_**Blossom**_

Boomer and Butch walked right in on me as I was playing the same old video games. I had somehow managed to fix the game system after I'd zapped it off the night before. Luckily, my actions hadn't caused too much damage, and I was back to playing CoD before I knew it.

The other two RowdyRuffs were arguing over something as they entered the house.

"No, you caved in first," Butch was saying to Boomer.

"I did not, you brought up the subject of their 'sexy bodies' before school even started!" Boomer retorted.

A snort from Butch, and a punch in the arm from Boomer sent the argument into a full-on fight. Boomer, of course, ended up losing, sprawled out on the floor ashamedly. At least he was standing up for himself and not cowering before Butch anymore.

"'Sup guys?" I greeted them as Boomer stood up, brushing himself off and Butch made his way over to his usual spot in front of the TV. Is that all they ever did? Watch TV?

Butch stopped dead in his tracks right before he sat down. He stared at me for a second before grinning widely.

"What?" I asked in response to the devilish look on his face.

"Sick, huh?" he laughed. Boomer floated over to him and stared at me, too, and a split second later he burst into laughter.

"What?" I demanded again.

Butch just shook his head. "Nothing, nothing," he chuckled. "That scheming little..." he sighed and met my eyes again. "Brick just told us he stayed home sick, and we come home to... to..." he laughed again, gesturing to me sitting there with the game controller in my hands.

Wait, my hands?

I looked down at my arms and gasped. They were mine and my very own! My eyes followed my arms up to my stomach, and finally to my chest. I put my hand gently on my left breast, testing to make sure it was real. It sure _felt_ real.

I looked up and met Butch's eyes again. He had a laughing look in his emerald green eyes and a smirk on his lips.

"Uhh..." I muttered, not quite sure what to say at this point.

"It's okay, Blossom," he said. "We're only gonna make fun of Brick for this until he's forty."

Boomer was still rolling on the floor laughing. Butch kicked him, not too hard, but enough for him to regain his 'composure' and get up off the floor again.

"How busy did you guys get?" Boomer laughed. I blushed as I realized I was still wearing Brick's entire outfit, including his hat. I ignored the obviously hypothetical question and dropped the controller that was still in my hands.

"So, where did he get to?" Butch asked, now finally sitting down in his chair and picking up his own controller.

I shrugged. Excuse, excuse, excuse! Come on Blossom, think of something! "He just left, to uh, get something." _way_ _to_ _go_, _genius_.

My response only made Butch laugh harder. "Ohh," he said suggestively. "He went to _get_ something." he winked at me and my face almost literally caught on fire. Butch leaned back in his beanbag and stared at me curiously.

"I didn't know you played CoD," he said, gesturing to the controller on the floor by me.

I shook my head quickly. "Oh, no, I don't—"

"Great, let's have a game, shall we?" he ignored my protests and began the game. I had no choice but to pick the controller back up and join him. "I'll go easy on you, don't worry."

Within three minutes, I destroyed him.

I have to say, it did feel good to laugh at the bewildered look on his face as I beat him for what seemed like the first time again. Boomer whooped and high-fived me.

"Nice job, Blossom!" he said. "You beat the undefeated Butch!"

"You totally punked me!" Butch exclaimed angrily. "This time, we're playing for real!" I grinned at him as he respawned and we began to play.

The game was just getting serious when the door to the shack burst open.

_**Butch**_

It's one situation in itself when I come home from school and find Blossom sitting there in my brother's clothes and playing my video games. It's a whole different kind of crazy when Brick bursts through the door with this wild look on his face... dressed in _her_ clothes.

"Brick, what the fuck...?" I barely got out, hopping up from my beanbag chair and dropping the game controller into the floor. Boomer stared at our brother with this wide-eyed expression, like he was staring at an alien. We might as well have been. This situation was getting goddamn weirder and weirder by the second.

Brick immediately flushed beet red when he saw Boomer and I staring at him like this. He cleared his throat awkwardly and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Blossom give a tiny wave.

I could tell Boomer wasn't sure whether to burst out in laughter or tears so he just sat there with that stupid expression.

"No time to explain," Brick said, rushing towards Blossom. He looked her dead in the eye and grinned widely. "Blossom... I... I can't believe this."

I thought he was fucking crazy until I saw Blossom return his excited look and grinned right on back at him. At that point, I was fucking pissed. I wanted to know what the _fuck_ was going on.

"Uh, _hello_?" I exclaimed, waving my arms in the air. "Can somebody please tell me why the fuck you two are dressed as each other?"

"Maybe they were role playing..." I heard Boomer mutter under his breath. He was quiet, but we all heard him. I couldn't help it. I burst into laughter, tears stinging at my eyes and I clutched my side from it hurting. Boomer may be stupid, but he says the funniest shit sometimes.

_**Anon**_

Brick and Blossom turned an even deeper shade of pink/red at Boomer's remark. The only difference now was that Blossom was becoming embarrassed, whereas Brick was about to explode in anger at any second.

"Okay, that's it," Brick cried furiously. "Get out of here so I can talk to Blossom in private!"

The other two boys did as they were told; didn't stop laughing, though. They continued to laugh right through their exit, Butch muttering breathlessly in between laughs ("Suuure, you're _talking_...") and Boomer gripping his stomach like it was killing him.

When finally the two boys had left the shack, Brick turned to Blossom.

"Can you believe this?" he cried happily, showing her his own arms.

She beamed and stood up, spinning around in front of him. "Look! I'm me again! I'm one hundred percent Blossom!"

They laughed and jumped and celebrated together, each showing the other the proof of possession over their own bodies.

After a moment, Brick stopped celebrating and looked down at himself.

"Uhh, Blossom?" he began hesitantly. She stopped twirling in the air and looked at him.

All she had to do was read his facial expression to know what he was implying. She giggled.

"Oh, alright, give me my clothes then," she laughed.

He happily got himself an outfit straight from his own wardrobe, a pair of black basketball shorts and a grey t-shirt. He changed quickly and comfortably into them while Blossom had her back turned, then handed her her own clothes.

Blossom spun around quickly in the air, creating a bright pink tornado around her body and changing as speedily as cartoon characters do. When she was in her own pajamas again, she sighed contentedly and lowered herself all the way to the ground, standing just in front of Brick. She reached up and took his lucky cap off her head, and silently placed it onto his.

He smiled at her. "That's much better," he said quietly, adjusting the cap on his head and sighing.

She smiled back, her own white teeth sparkling back at him. "So very much better!"

"I can finally go back to my own life!" he said eagerly, throwing his arms out around him, in a gesture towards the shack.

Blossom nodded solemnly. Was this really how he felt? Was Brick really this eager to get back to his own normal routine after all they'd been through?

"Finally, I don't have to worry about girl stuff," he continued, Blossom's heart sinking in her chest. "I don't have to worry about homework or sisters or parents or y—"

Brick stopped short at the expression on Blossom's face. He had begun to say 'you', but stopped himself.

Blossom turned away sadly.

"No, Bloss, I didn't mean it like that," he corrected quickly. "I just meant, you know..."

But he couldn't think of an excuse this time. Blossom sighed.

"No, you're right, Brick," she said quietly. "We should go back to our normal lives. Pretend like this never happened."

Brick was genuinely hurt. He didn't think he was capable of feeling this way. He hadn't meant to hurt her feelings; he'd just gotten overwhelmed with the excitement of being himself again.

"It doesn't have to be like that," he said sadly. "I mean, our siblings are dating now, aren't they? So we'll have to see each other?"

Blossom met his fiery red eyes and half-smiled. "If that's what you want," she said hopefully.

_**Brick**_

Was that what I wanted?

It was then that I found myself asking the same question as before.

Did I love Blossom Utonium?

This time, the answer was quite clear to me.

After all I'd been through, experiencing her life and with the two of us living as each other, I knew it was true.

I was in love with Blossom Utonium.

And I wasn't afraid to show it anymore.

Disregarding my past and everything I was used to, I took Blossom's small, soft hands into my own.

"That's not what I want, Blossom," I said truthfully. The look on her face was sad and she lowered her gaze. I tilted her head back up by her chin so her eyes would meet mine again. "I mean, that's not enough. I've been through too much to simply call you my enemy anymore."

I saw the bright smile come to life on her face right before I kissed her. And when I say I kissed her, I mean I _kissed_ her.

It was just like in the movies. The sparks flew rapidly, like a sparkler. Or more like fireworks. She was like Independence Day, Christmas and Easter all wrapped into one. She was sugar, spice and everything nice. She was perfect.

"Oooooohhhh!" I heard my brothers sing as they peeked through the door at us. I ignored them and wrapped my arms around Blossom's waist. I had been waiting too long to do this.

I felt like I knew her so well now, I knew every last inch of her, every curve on her body, every freckle on her nose. I had lived my life for almost a week as Blossom Utonium, and in the midst of that time I had fallen madly in love with her.

But not every story has a happy ending.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

**A/N: Hey you guys! I hope you enjoyed this second-to-last chapter of Code Red! I just have a few things to say before I sign off...**

**Firstly, next I will be writing a Blues story, I'll put up the summary after the final chapter has been published. Hope you guys stay tuned!**

**Second, I don't usually do this, but a good friend of mine has recently joined the site and she's published this story called Distortion. It's Bubbles x Butch, so, If you're a fan of colour-swapping, if you know what I mean, it's really great so far and I think you should check it out!**

**Finally, as I said up at the beginning, I still need more entries for my monthly writing contest! The word of this month is DREAM, so get those one-shots written! It's almost August!**

**Thank you all so much for your continued support, and I'll see you back here with the final conclusion very soon!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Me: THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER. ARE YOU AS SAD AS I AM THAT I'M DONE?**

Everyone: ...no.

Me: WHY NOT?

Butch: You're doing another story...

Buttercup: Yeah, right after this one!

Me: Ah, yes... remember how I told you I was gonna do the blues one?

Bubbles: me! I mean, yes!

Me: well... I lied. I'm actually gonna do greens.

Boomer: but! But!

Me: Boomer, keep your buts to yourself.

...

Brick: You just made things awkward for everybody.

Blossom: Disclaimer! Marisa doesn't own us or anything, we're 16 with normal features, and all that jazz.

Me: ENJOY THE LAST CHAPTER! Even though it's incredibly short... xP

* * *

**Chapter 15******

**_Anon_******

To keep the ending short and simple, Brick and Blossom got together that day. He held her small hand in his own and was reminded of when he was in complete control of that hand. Of her entire body. He knew that being in her body for a week wasn't nearly enough to get to know her well. There was so much more to Blossom than just what was on the outside. For example, her sketches. He had asked her about them, dangling her sketchbook in front of her face until she spilled the truth. With a sigh, she snatched the book out of his hands and opened the book to the page with the sketch of the red eyes in the darkness.

"I used to have these dreams," she started. "Really realistic dreams, that I would wake up in the darkness and you'd be standing there in my room, your eyes staring at me, deep, red and scary..." she shook her head as if it were a silly thought. "I know, it's dumb."

Brick lowered his gaze to the floor and scratched the back of his neck with his free hand. "Actually, Bloss," he began slowly. "Those may or may not have been dreams."

She forced him to meet her eyes and scrunched her eyebrows. "You weren't really in my room?" She begged of him, praying it was a joke.

The redheaded boy just shrugged.

"Brick!" she'd exclaimed, slapping him playfully on the shoulder.

"What?" he said with a smirk. "How could I stay away from such a beautiful face?" He leaned in towards her, expecting a kiss, but she pushed him away, her face growing hot.

"Stop it," she muttered.

"Stop what? This?" he leaned into her again, but this time she didn't fight back. She allowed him to kiss her, softly and sincerely.

When they pulled away, Blossom smirked at him.

Brick smirked right on back.

"You might be better than me at making that face," he told her.

She laughed. "Nobody's better at being Brick than you," she told him truthfully.

"I think I make a better you than you," he joked. She hit him on the shoulder again and he planted a kiss on her temple.

"As much as I loved being you, Brick," Blossom began sarcastically, "I prefer kissing you as _you_, not me."

"I agree."

They were the second of the PowerPuff/RowdyRuff couples to make their relationship official—which was strange, because it was Bubbles and Boomer who had liked each other from the start. But don't worry, blues fangirls, Boomer would soon have the opportunity to ask Bubbles out when the fall formal dance was upon them.

It was Sadie Hawkins, so normally the girl would ask the guy, but Boomer wanted to be absolutely sure she wasn't planning on asking anyone else. He approached her about two weeks before the dance with a blush on his cheeks almost as red as the rose in his hand; he held it out to her and asked her to be his girlfriend. Little did he know, his brothers and Bubbles' sisters were waiting just around the corner and as he asked her, they all jumped out and nearly scared the poor boy to death.

"FINALLY!" They all exclaimed, coming out from around the corner and grinning at the two blues. If Boomer's blush had been apparent before, it was nothing compared to the intense redness on his face after the rest of them had revealed themselves.

"Wait!" Bubbles said, holding her hands in front of her mouth and trying (but failing) not to laugh. "I didn't answer him yet!"

Everyone turned their eyes to the blonde girl, including Boomer, who was writhing nervously.

"Come on," Butch scoffed. "It's not like you were gonna say no."

She shrugged. "You guys don't know that."

Boomer's face drained and he hung his head. "Oh..."

Everyone sort of exchanged an awkward glance and started to back away slowly.

Bubbles giggled, wrapping her arms around Boomer's neck and pecking him lightly on the cheek. "Of course I will be your girlfriend, Boomie."

Everyone let out a sigh of relief. Boomer's sigh might have been a bit _too _relieved, for he nearly collapsed into a worried heap onto the floor.

"You really had him there, Bubbles!" Butch laughed, offering a high five to his auburn-haired brother. Brick stared at Butch's hand with a raised eyebrow then glanced at Blossom.

"That wasn't funny, Butch," he said sternly, scolding his brother for being so naive.

"Are you kidding?" Blossom laughed loudly. "It was hilarious!"

Brick flushed deep pink and the rest of them laughed.

It was a happy day for all. But like Brick said in the last chapter, everything can't always end happily... or can it?

"You guys going to BC's soccer game?" Butch asked the rest, looping an arm around his girlfriend's waist. She placed a palm on his chest and gazed fondly up at him.

"Another soccer game?" Brick whined, tossing his head back in annoyance. "Didn't you just have one of those?"

Buttercup rolled her eyes. "Yeah, like three days ago."

Blossom smiled and grasped Brick's hand in her own. It was surprising how well their hands fit into each other, like two puzzle pieces that were made to be together.

Whether they were themselves or each other (as they hoped to never be again), they knew that they would never grow tired of the other. Sometimes, secretly, Blossom liked to borrow Brick's lucky cap and wear it on her head just for comfort, and Brick was allowed to keep that photo of her that he liked so much. He gratefully overcame his whole fear of being touched, thanks to Blossom, and became a very affectionate person (though he couldn't compare with Boomer, of course). Although there was one side effect to the whole switch thing, between the two reds.

As the group of super-powered teens made their way to the soccer field, each paired together after all that time, a faint rumble of thunder rolled in the distance. Brick and Blossom jumped at the sound of the thunder and corresponding flash of lightning, and looked at each other.

"Uh, actually, Buttercup, if you don't mind, Brick and I are gonna skip this game." Blossom gripped her counterpart's hand tightly.

Buttercup sighed but smiled, waving them off without a word. Brick squeezed Blossom's hand in return and they both took off towards home, though in which home they belonged in was unclear to the pair.

Because although the storm was beginning to rage in the distance, as long as the two were together, it didn't matter which body had which soul. They were together, and that's all that counted.

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys and gals! I would like to take this moment to thank you all for your glorious reviews! I just know I couldn't have done this without you. Thank you all so much for sticking with me right up to the end! I know I'll be quick to put my next story out there. I've already got two chapters written and I'm eager to post it! So thanks again to all of you, and I hope to see some entries for my contest here in the next week or so! I love you all, ciao for now!**

xoxo ~ml


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